Your eyes probably glaze over every time you read an article about the direct shipping wars pitting in-state wholesaler interests against those of wineries, retailers, and consumers who naturally want to do business with each other as efficiently as possible.
Why you should care
If you want the freedom to buy wine from licensed parties in any state, with the associated convenience, greater selection and competitive pricing, then you need to pay attention. State-specific battles of one form or another (read Tom Wark’s Fermentation blog post titled “The Big Lie” about Virginia Wine) are occurring in many states including Texas, Illinois, and now Oregon. You are likely to be directly affected.
What you can do
Become vocal with your state legislators or let the battle be fought for you by supporting national efforts like the non-profit Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) whose goal is to create a national marketplace for direct-to-consumer wine sales.
For example, would you be prepared to make a small financial contribution to the SWRA (collected by your retailer) as part of the shipping charge for each case of wine shipped to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment.
