Will Maryland Legislators Once again Vote to Keep Maryland Below Average?
A blog posting on Wine Trail Traveler that considers the possibilities of why Maryland is not apart of the "60 percent of the country that does allow wineries to ship wine to consumers in their states":
Monday, 8. March 2010
Maryland legislators will once again vote on a direct shipping bill.
The bill comes up every year and has trouble making it out of the
committee. In Maryland, Maryland wineries as well as wineries
throughout the world may not ship wine to Maryland residents. Why do I
consider this below average? Because 60 percent of the country does
allow wineries to ship wine to consumers in their states. Why doesn’t
Maryland?
Perhaps it goes back to Prohibition and our politicians keep an
outdated frame of mind. Or perhaps it is the liquor wholesalers who
lobby against direct shipping in Maryland. One argument they use to
frighten legislators is just as archaic as Prohibition, teens are going
to get on the Internet and order wine. This argument falls on deaf ears
to learned people who realize that there is no research to indicate
this is a fact. It is not a problem in any of the states that allow
direct shipping.
It seems to come down to how much business liquor wholesalers will
lose to direct shipping. It looks like one percent must be a big cut in
profits. What can Maryland residents do? Continue to let their
representatives know they want direct shipping. If we do not get it,
vote the incumbents out of office in November.