Better know a wine law: Maryland!
A blog posting on Dr. Vino about Maryland's current direct wine shipping law:
Maryland,
the home of the Fightin’ Terps, threatens to turn its wine lovers into
perps: The laws governing these five and a half million residents make
it a felony
to order wine online and have it shipped to their homes. To purchase
wines, consumers residing Annapolis, Baltimore or along the Chesapeake
must buy from a local store; comparison shopping through retailers on
the internet or ordering directly from a winery is illegal. (Small
wonder neighboring DC is the thirstiest non-state in the nation.)
Maryland is also home to 38 wineries today.
Seeking to jump-start the domestic wine industry after Prohibition, the
US Department of Agriculture turned to this mid-Atlantic state, opening
an experimental winery in Beltsville, Maryland. Even though it was not
long-lived, today’s wineries follow the early trail blazed by the Feds.
The only problem: they cannot ship their wines to consumers in-state or
out-of-state. In a recent survey (pdf), all but one winery respondents found this to negatively affect their business.
The keys to reforming the laws that have kept Marylanders locked out
of the wine cellar for several decades may be within reach. Although
the legislation has been introduced every year since 1981, Adam Borden,
executive director of Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws, says
that this year it has majority support in both houses.
But the legislative path is not without roadblocks. Who has
screwcaps big enough to stand in the path of this legislation? Senator
Joan Carter Conway, chair of the Health and Education committee, threatened to stifle
the bill in committee despite six of nine members being co-sponsors.
But today, a committee in the House will hear testimony on the issue.
Robert Parker, Maryland’s best-known wine consumer, will not be testifying today since he is traveling, according to Borden.
Marylanders for Better Wine and Beer Laws and their page On Facebook
House Bill (80/141)
Senate Bill (26/47)