

The organization has urged wine lovers to contact legislators to remove this prohibition which has been backed by Delaware wholesalers.
#WINE DELIVERY DELAWARE FREE#
“In its current form, the bill is not ideal because it would ban direct-to-consumer shipment of wines already for sale in Delaware," he said.Īccording to the Free the Grapes! website, "just because a wine has been listed for sale in Delaware doesn’t mean you can find it in a store anywhere." Louisiana’s law is most similar to Delaware House Bill 165 – specific wines that are in wholesale distribution in Louisiana cannot be direct shipped by a winery. But at least 42 states have no such restrictions on direct wine shipments.īenson of Free the Grapes! said the Delaware House bill needs work. Wyoming is a “control” state (the state is the seller of both spirits and wine) and any wine that Wyoming sells through its warehouse cannot be shipped directly by the winery, Beirne said. In Indiana, any winery with a wholesaler selling any of its wines cannot direct ship any of its wines. Some states, as well as Washington, D.C., that allow direct wine shipping have similar wholesale limits. "They say, 'Can we send them a gift pack? And I say, 'I can't do that. Family members tell the winemaker they want to send their Delaware relatives a gift pack from her Sussex County vineyard, the first one in Delaware. Raley-Ward said she frequently gets phone calls from out-of-state customers with relatives who have retired to Delaware.
#WINE DELIVERY DELAWARE LICENSE#
But she said consumers aren't sure which stores carry her wines because the guide is only available to those, such as retail liquor store owners and restaurateurs, who have a license to resell alcohol. Hey, Delaware: Lose the unnecessary booze rules It's also a sticking point for Peggy Raley-Ward, founder and co-owner of Nassua Valley Vineyards in Lewes.ĭelaware votes to allow craft alcohol-makers to sell each other's products It creates a lot of confusion for the public," said Beirne, who said it tends to "infuriate consumers who can’t understand why a winery can ship some brands, but not others."

The Delaware Beverage Guide is primarily used by retailers to ensure that they are all paying wholesalers the same price for the same products, she said.īeirne's advocacy group is not in favor of that limitation. It can only be accessed by those who are licensed to sell and dispense alcoholic liquor in Delaware, said Terri Cofer Beirne, eastern counsel for The Wine Institute, an advocacy group for California wineries. The wines sold by Delaware importers are listed in a monthly Delaware Beverage Guide, but that online guide isn't a public document that's readily available to the majority of consumers. So, how do you know which wines they are, and where they're sold? That's where it gets confusing.

There also is a prohibition in the bill that would exclude direct shipments of wine already sold by Delaware wholesalers. And no winery would be allowed to ship more than 1,800 cases annually into Delaware. Retailers would not be allowed to apply for the license. Right now, the bill calls for wineries to obtain a license to allow direct shipping to customers – with certain limitations.įor instance, the cap for Delaware customers would be three (9-liter) cases of wine a year. states,” said Jeremy Benson, executive director of Free the Grapes! a national, grassroots coalition of consumers, wineries and retailers fighting to change the law.

"House Bill 165 is a carryover from 2017 and would, if passed, replace Delaware’s archaic ban on winery direct shipments with language proven successful in the majority of U.S. It will be on the House agenda on Thursday. Some wine lovers are hoping to remove restrictions in Delaware, as well as Utah, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama, that prohibit consumers from purchasing wines directly from wineries.ĭirect wine shipping bills have been introduced in the Delaware General Assembly for at least a decade and each has failed to make any headway.īut in April, House Bill 165 (the direct shipping bill) passed unanimously out of the House Administration Committee. That practice, even if you've been doing it on the sly or have wine mailed to you in Delaware through a wine club, is against the law. Sorry, if you live in Delaware, you're out of luck. Have you ever tasted a great Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from an out-of-state winery or one in the First State and wanted a case of it sent directly to your house? Watch Video: A summer search for Delaware's best crab cakes
