The enforcement and interpretation of various state laws for direct-to-consumer wine shipments continue to evolve. Following are four recent changes and rule clarifications members should be aware of. Connecticut: Wineries of any size are eligible to apply for an Out-of- State Shippers Permit in CT. The cost of the permit is $250 and there is […]
FedEx Approves Arizona for Direct Shipping for Qualifying Wineries
Effective September 21, 2006, Arizona will allow direct shipping of off-site purchases through a permit system for both instate and out-of-state wineries. Only wineries producing no more than 20,000 gallons annually are eligible to apply for this direct shipping permit. FedEx Express and FedEx Ground will accept wine shipments from approved wine shippers as of […]
Montana Reviews Direct Shipping Laws
Wine Institute representatives recently met with Dan Bucks, the Director of the Montana Department of Revenue and Shauna Helfert, the new Administrator of the Liquor Control Division of the DOR. They raised concerns regarding recent reports of Montana retailers purchasing wine directly from out-of-state wineries, which is currently not permissible under Montana law. They noted […]
Colorado’s New Permit Law
Colorado’s new legislation effecting wine shipments will become effective July 1, 2006. The new permit application is available on Wine Institute’s direct shipping website. Wineries that have been shipping to Colorado under the reciprocity law DO NOT have to complete a new application. The annual renewal fee for applications will remain $50.00. Wineries must pay […]
Kansas’ Limited Direct-to-Consumer Shipping Law
Governor Kathleen Sebelius on May 23, 2006 signed a DTC shipping bill in KANSAS that gives us only half of what we were seeking. This was an extremely hard-fought battle in a state that had previously banned all DTC shipments. Unfortunately, the success Chuck McGrigg and our local lobbyists had in passing our version of […]
Delaware Restricts Self-Distribution
Responding differently to a similar legal challenge, Delaware took a different path last week when Governor Ruth Ann Minner signed legislation requiring that Delaware farm wineries sell their product exclusively to wholesalers for distribution to retailers. Delaware has only one active farm winery at this time. For more information contact State Relations at (415) 356-7530.
Washington Legislature Sends Direct-To-Consumer Bill To The Governor.
The Washington State Legislature passed a favorable direct-to-consumer shipment bill (ESB 6537), transitioning Washington from a reciprocal state to a permit state. This was done to ensure that our shipping privileges can be maintained without any Constitutional challenges in the future. With a wine shipper’s permit, wineries will be able to ship an unlimited amount […]
