Chicagoist: Looking Deeper at Pending Wine Shipping Legislation

guest

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:14:49 -0600

i want to surprise my spouse with a bottle of wine from hawaii that we had on our honeymoon. you're telling me that i can no longer order wine from hawaii? that certainly will not make me seek out any illinois wineries. if i am forbidden from buying the wines of my choise, i will never buy an illinois wine again.

Peter

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:08:15 -0600

There are thousands of great wines that Illinois retailers don't have in their stores--for one good reason or another. Preventing Illinois residents from having legal access to those products sold by out of state retailers is the same as not allowing Illinois residents to purchase certain brands of clothes or read certain books just because an Illinois retailer didn't buy them. As a big wine buyer from both Illinois and out of state retailers, this bill is not in the best interest of Illinois residents.

Shaun

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:17:13 -0600

wait. WAIT. We have wineries in Illinois??!!? Since when?!?!

Ferdy

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:56:27 -0600

Told you I was powerful...

geekgrrl

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:22:41 -0600

ferdy, that almost made me snort yogurt up my nose. well done.

Ferdy

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:40:26 -0600

And I am the Lexx, the most powerful weapon of destruction in the two universes.

winehiker

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:25:09 -0600

I use the Internet. I learn about wine online. I buy wine online. I want options, and I will pursue those options where legislation promotes freedom. I am part of an ever-widening circle of wine consumers, an inexorable juggernaut that will flatten the traditional three-tier hierarchy to result in new synergies between wine producers and wine consumers.

Tom Wark

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:20:47 -0600

In almost every case a retailer's ability to ship into another state depends on that other state's laws regarding shipment of wine into that state, not on the laws of the shipper's state. However, I can tell you that states do in fact look at how their own business are being treated by other states and in some cases act accordingly.

Chuck

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:05:58 -0600

Rob: Illinois retailers can sell all the wine they want to Illinois residents, since they're buying it from a wholesaler. They may also be able to ship directly to customers in states with reciprocal laws on the books. Now this is where it becomes tricky. Some of the people I've talked to fear repercussions if HB 429 is signed into law in the form of similar legislation being enacted by other states, preventing Illinois retailers from shipping wine to out-of-state customers. It's probably imperative that your employer, Rob, take note of this, as they do some pretty decent online business.

Tom Wark

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:56:25 -0600

Bill Olson of the Associated Beer Distributors is playing fast and loose with the fact when he says: “Out-of-state retailers have never had the right to ship into Illinois." Allow me to quote from the Illinois law that has been in place for 15 years and that Mr. Olson has apparently never read: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an adult resident or HOLDER OF AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE in a state which affords Illinois licensees or adult residents an equal reciprocal shipping privilege may ship, for personal use and not for resale, not more than 2 cases of wine (each case containing not more than 9 liters) per year to any adult resident of this State. Last I looked every retailer in every state in America was a "HOLDER OF AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE PERMIT. When the wholesalers have to distort the truth to make their point it's time to question their motives.

Rob

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:46:01 -0600

What about Illinois retailers that ship out of state? Will this reduce the number of states that they can ship to due to reciprocation laws?

Ferdy

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:38:40 -0600

I do not want some distributor telling me that I can only buy garbage wine from Australia. I'm havnig trouble now getting the wines I like at my retailers. This is protectionism for the middle man, pure and simple, who are making a good living selling their crap to grocery stores.