Maryland Wine Shipping Editorial in Washington Post
Maryland wine shipping got a lift on Chirstmas Eve in the form of an Editorial in the Washington Post. Being an editorial, the piece has the freedom to get a little snippier than most of the press that has been released on the issue.
The industry’s arguments against direct shipments are lame. One is that teenagers might use it to circumvent the state’s drinking age by ordering alcohol delivered at home. In fact, most teens get beer (not wine) by having an older friend buy it for them.
And there’s another mention of the ship-to-retailer program
The liquor lobby is also fond of defending the status quo by pointing to a mechanism in which consumers can direct-order wine for delivery to a nearby retailer through the normal wholesale network. But that mechanism has proved unwieldy and unworkable.
The mechanism in question is the shipping permit that wineries can buy from the State of Maryland. The permit allows them to ship to a retailer, from whom the consumer can pick up their special orders. To call the system unwieldy and unworkable is being generous. I poked around with direct shipping to Maryland last year and found it to be useless.
Link to editorial.
