Va. online wine leaves Maryland bitter

Bizjournal ^ | May 3, 2003 | Roger Hughlett

[fightinJAG]

Va. online wine leaves Maryland bitter Roger Hughlett Contributor

The legal cork that keeps Virginia wineries from peddling their wares over the Internet -- and Virginia residents from buying out-of-state wines online -- is about to pop.

But the same cork in Maryland shows no signs of letting go.

Beginning July 1, Virginia vineyards can sell wines over the Internet to customers in other states and Virginia residents can buy wines online from out-of-state wineries.

This opens up new markets for Virginia wine producers and potentially translates into millions of dollars in revenue for the state's wine industry.

"Consumers in many other states will now have access to the great wines of Virginia," says David Sloane, president of WineAmerica, an industry trade group. "Similarly, Virginia consumers will now be allowed to have wines from other states shipped right to their front doors. This opens up a whole new world of opportunity for consumers and wineries."

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Meanwhile, Maryland vineyards are forced to watch and wait for state laws to change. As the law stands today, Maryland residents and wineries are committing a felony when they have wine delivered to their homes or ship it to homes outside of the state.

So come July 1, a winery in Virginia can ship bottles thousands of miles across the nation but not up the road to folks in Montgomery County.

© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.

[fightinJAG]

Helpful news for those Freepers boycotting French wines--you can now sample Virginia's finest by buying on the internet.

Also an object lesson on the People's Republic of Maryland.

[fooman]

I have always wondered why this is not unconstitutional.

[fightinJAG]

do you mean a restriction on buying and selling over the internet?

I think it has to do with the fact that the product is alcohol.

[SamAdams76]

I sure wish all these Prohibition-era laws would get repealed. Especially with respect to wine. I mean, no underage teenager is going to mail-order fine wines. First of all, he probably can't afford it. Secondly, the average teenagers tastes incline towards Budweiser or something sweet (and cheap) like Peppermint Schnapps or hard lemonade.

Anyway, it is important to note that California is not the only U.S. state making fine wines. I believe there are at least 30 states making decent wines these days.

[fightinJAG]

I think the pervasive unforgiving attitude toward France is going to lead to people becoming more open to other wines, including local and other American wines. Last week I posted an article about how people in Lil Tommy Dashole's hometown in South Dakota had stopped buying French wines! Now, that's a pervasive sentiment. I think one of the great things about American wines is the variety of styles made here.

[vbmoneyspender]

because when they amended the constitution to repeal prohibition, a clause was left in that allowed states to continue to regulate alcohol purchases and distribution.

[fooman]

Great. Thanks. I have wanted to know the legal basis of this for years.

OF course, this amendment goes well with the principle of Interstate commerce. NOT!

[HiTech RedNeck]

So come July 1, a winery in Virginia can ship bottles thousands of miles across the nation but not up the road to folks in Montgomery County.

Who could pay them a visit in person. Silly.

[vbmoneyspender]

it is a further example of the fact that whenever the gov't is allowed to poke their noses into some issue and then are forced to back away from the issue, they still never entirely let go of the issue.

[Corin Stormhands]

Who could pay them a visit in person. Silly.

I'm not aware of any Virginia winery that would be less than a two hour drive from Montgomery County, Maryland (I could be wrong).

[cowtowney]

US Constitution says:
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another

[gaspar]

We live in Shenandoah County. My wife's parents in Rockville make it here in under two hours. There are two wineries in this county and quite a few closer to MD and DC in northern Virginia. And if you live in that part of the PRMC (People's Republic of Montgomery County) near the ferry crossing, you can reach wineries in half an hour.

The VA reds are not strong, but quite a few whites, especially sweeter Rieslings etc., are coming into maturity. The state now boasts over 80 wineries and some 200 growers. Wine on!