Archive for the ‘SWRA Issues’ Category
Thursday, March 13th, 2008
These last three days I was at the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's Annual Legal Symposium. That organization of control states was kind enough to ask me to sit on a panel and discuss retailer-to-consumer shipping.
In the course of the talk I gave I made the point that retailer-to-consumer shipping ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 11 Comments »
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
"All they care about is their own greed, about selling wine."
One must be struck by the extraordinary disregard some people have for their own integrity.
On Monday, the state of Maryland heard testimony in committee on HB 1260, a bill that would allow wineries and retailers both inside Maryland and ...
Posted in SWRA Issues, Shipping Legislation | 2 Comments »
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
On a regular basis we are asked, "how can I help SWRA fight its fights for retailers and consumers". The truth is there are any number of ways this can be done. We are taken however by one recent effort by a very small online retailer: WineMonger.
In the wake of ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 7th, 2008
SWRA has released a report that for the first time documents the astounding amounts of money spent by America's alcohol wholesalers on political campaigns at the state level.
That figure is $50 Million between 2000 and 2006. This is more than all the campaign contributions spent by wineries, retailers, beer ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 7th, 2007
If you are a wine retailer with any connection to the direct-to-consumer market SWRA's upcoming "Wine Retailing 2008: Change & Opportunity" on February 27, 2008 is a must attend event.
The first event of its kind to focus on issue specific to retailers selling direct will focus on issues such ...
Posted in Events, SWRA Issues | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
The very small number, but powerful, groups that want to shut down consumers ability to purchase wine direct from retailers and wineries is making a strong push around the issue of "Face To Face" transactions being the only safe way of allowing direct to consumer shipping. They suggest that all ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
"The misconception is that it was ever about money for wholesalers. It never was. The reason [we] don't like [direct shipping] is that it's a bad public policy."
Craig Wolf, Wine & Spirit Wholesalers Association.
Of course it's not about money. It is just a coincidence that every pro-consumer wine shipping policy ...
Posted in Three Tier System, Media, SWRA Issues | 4 Comments »
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
This year's one important legislative victory for consumers and retailers on the issue of direct shipment of wine came in the great state of Oregon where that state transformed itself from a reciprocity state to a "permit" state. The upshot of this change is that out-of-state retailers may apply for ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | No Comments »
Monday, November 12th, 2007
Who owns the 3-tier system of wine distribution?
That's right: "Owns it". While a government-created and regulated system, the 3-tier system of wine distribution, whereby the producer sells to the distributor who then sells to retailers and restaurants, might just in fact be owned by one of the tiers. At least ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007
Direct-to-consumer shipment of wine is good for America's pocketbook. That's the finding that has come out of a new study that shows when a state allows retailer-to-consumer shipment, local prices for wine come down in response to the competition.
The study was conducted by Alan Wiseman of Ohio State University and ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 1 Comment »
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
Inevitably, the term "Dormant Commerce Clause" arises with any substantive discussion of direct wine shipping laws and discrimination against out of state wine shippers. The important 2005 Supreme Court decision Granholm v. Heald was in fact a case that turned on the scope of the Dormant Commerce Clause when apparently ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
Both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, philosophers inspired by England's Glorious Revolution and both central to the liberal philosophical foundation of the American political mind since the mid 18th century, observed that at the heart of man's political motivation lies self interest. Virtue can be found in our hearts, but ...
Posted in SWRA Issues | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Regarding the Michigan Judge's ruling that Granholm v. Heald and the principle of non-discrimination applies to retailers as well as wineries, a white paper to this point was written by Judge Ken Starr, Dean of the Pepperdine School of Law, and Kathleen Sullivan of Stanford Law School.
For those of you ...
Posted in SWRA Issues, Legal Issues | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
After searching high and low for that bottle of Australian Chardonnay you tasted when last in Australia, you find it. A wine merchant located outside your state who has an eclectic taste in Chards lists it on their website. Hallelujah! Upon clicking a few times you are ready to order ...
Posted in Wine Blogging, SWRA Issues, Shipping Legislation, Legal Issues | 7 Comments »