That Wine Shipping Amendment Got Crushed
See what I did there in the headline? Wine, made from grapes… got crushed. Get it? Anyway.
The backdoor slider that got Direct Wine Shipping onto the Winery Modernization Act got withdrawn on Tuesday. Daily Record Records:
In the end, Zirkin acquiesced to those who asked him to withdraw his amendment – “I wish you had done that 25 minutes earlier,” Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller deadpanned – but not before Sen. Alex X. Mooney, R-Frederick and Washington, tried to force a vote on the issue. He took the unusual step of resisting Zirkin’s attempt to withdraw his own amendment, calling for vote on the motion.
Mooney was defeated 42-4 and the modernization bill, including the direct shipping study, moved closer to final Senate approval. The bill appears to have support in the House of Delegates as well.
So it looks like the legislature is poised to pass anything wine related to placate the winos as long as it isn’t wine shipping. Maybe we could jam some open container laws through there, or selling wine in grocery stores.
