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A Big Win for Small Wineries

also see -> Free the Grapes?

May 16, 2005 - In what is predicted to be a huge boost for American wine sellers and individual wineries, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down state laws barring consumers from cross-border shipping of wine purchased online.

The 5-4 decision dealt directly with New York and Michigan state laws, but it will also clear the way for online, cross-border wine sales to greatly expand into twenty or more additional states - where state regulations previously made online wine sales off-limits to online shoppers.

The court ruled that the laws currently on the books were blatantly discriminatory, and squelched interstate commerce and competition between wineries and dealers across America.

The new ruling finally opens the door to cross-border shipping, with enormous implications for the almost $22 billion industry that has been attracting more and more American consumers with higher levels of wine knowledge and sophistication than in the past.

The ruling's impact will not only provide a boon to already existing wine retailers like Wine.com, but to thousands of small wineries that rely on direct online sales to touring guests who may want to reorder a favorite bottle from the winery's Web site - even though they live outside the state where the winery is located.

In fact, it has been the smaller wineries who have put the most pressure on changing the law, spearheading Free the Grapes and other grass roots campaigns that finally put the matter to the Supreme Court.

The recent, big wine by small wineries is not only seen as victory for them, but for wine consumers across America who now have reason to celebrate 2005 as a very good year.