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Rather than a single set of federal laws governing all alcohol sales,
each individual state (and in some cases, individual counties and municipalities)
all have their own laws regarding alcohol, and specifically regarding
wine and wine shipments. Until recently this has made the selling
of wine via mail order or online a virtual impossibility.
Prior to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling, some states allowed wineries located
within their state to ship wines, but banned any out-of-state winery
from shipping in to their state. In other cases, some wineries
found they could ship to certain areas within a state, but not others.
At WineSource.com, we market wines for many wineries throughout the United
States. Each winery examines the current laws within its own state and
makes a determination as to which states they may legally ship. Wineries
may also elect to register in additional states which allows them to
ship wine to those states where they hold that registration. However,
because not all wineries are registered in the same states, it is possible
that two wineries located "next door" to one another may not be able
to ship to the same address. The laws, while becoming more simplified
and open, contain a great many exceptions, loopholes and details which
makes it nearly impossible for the average consumer to guess which wineries
are and are not available to ship to their state.
Hence, at WineSource.com, we ask for your "ship-to state" early in
the shopping process because we understand how frustrating it is to pick
out the perfect wine for your occasion only to discover that your chosen
winery cannot deliver to your state. Our wineries are constantly reviewing
the changing laws in an effort to make sure they do ship to every state
they possibly can. So while you may find a wine you like but can't be
shipped to you today ... try again later and perhaps the laws will have
changed to allow shipping to your state in the meantime!
For more information on wine laws and current shipping debates, please
visit the following links:
Wine Intro
Ship Compliant
Wine Institute
Free
the Grapes
Coalition
for Free Trade
An example of just one set of state laws as of the spring of 2006:
In Michigan, the law requires that you meet the following requirements:
- you've physically been to the winery from which you wish to place
an online order
- you fax a copy of your proof of age to the winery
- you utilize an online age and identity verification service, such
as IDresponse.
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