Tennessee’s Attorney General has ruled that consumers may not carry any amount of wine on their person into Tennessee. This ruling prohibiting consumers from carrying wine into TN means that the federal on-site provision does not apply to consumers in Tennessee, and wineries are prohibited from making shipments to TN consumers under any circumstance. All wine must enter TN through the 3-tier system without exception.
On a positive note, favorable direct shipping legislation (Bill H 1155) has been introduced and is currently awaiting action in the TN legislature. If enacted the bill would create a direct-to-consumer shipping permit for wineries, allow for the payment of taxes and reporting. Wineries with a permit would be able to ship up to 12 cases a year to TN consumers.
