Shipping Wine from California

[marinade]

In the middle of June my wife and I left Yosemite via Highway 49 to do the “Mines and Vines” portion of our vacation in Amador County, & Calaveras County. Along the way we accumulated about 5-1/2 cases of choice bottles that we couldn’t get there from here, here being Pennsylvania. Getting them back was a different issue. The last time we were in California (2000) we spent about six days in Dry Creek and Anderson Valley. We blitzed through those regions and got more than 25 cases back via wineries, mail services, UPS, USPS, FedEx and on the plane. No problem whatsoever. In fact there is a winery (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) that still regularly ships to us. Now I didn’t expect the floodgates to open since the recent Supreme Court ruling but it seems to have gotten worse. I know that wineries can ship under certain conditions (to designated consignees) to certain states.

There were a number of storefront mailing services that would flat out refuse to ship (pottery, olive oil, or glassware-no matter what we tried to call it) or even sell us the Styrofoam packing material. Of the 5-1/2 cases, we got 4 back. One was seized and the other half case is MIA. I know it’s at your own risk to ship but has something hit the shipping services via the carriers (UPS and FedEx). Apologies if this has topic has been covered before.

[Brad Ballinger]

Generally, anyone in the shipment chain can be fined for facilitating illegal shipments. For those players who've been "caught" and fined, it's not pleasant. And many choose to never let it happen again.

It should be less of an issue if you are shipping to yourself, but many people still don't want to take the risk.

[Rebel Rose]

This is the law in Pennsylvania:

HB 1519 allows out-out-of-state wineries to ship, via special orders placed by consumers through Internet websites of licensed direct wine shippers, not more than nine liters per month of wine not already available for sale in PLCB (Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board) stores. The wine must be shipped to a PLCB Wine and Spirits Store as specified by the consumer and will include the following costs to the consumer: an 18% state tax, 6% sales tax and $4.50 handling fee. Additional payment of service charge of 25 cents per gallon and issuance of consent certificate by Board is required. Taxes must be paid before delivery.

Something tells me you're not jumping through all these hoops.

Wineries are also required to report monthly to the PLCB--a task that some are willing to undergo, but most are not. It is a task that I began to undertake for NH, VA, and NC, with hopes of expanding into other reporting-required states, but I simply cannot keep up with the paperwork. I keep getting these little cards and letters from state Boards of Equalization, as well as the alcohol boards, all wanting their $13.26 or whatever in tax. I've been late a couple of times in reporting to NH, and I receive these terribly formal and frightening emails that they are going to write me up and suspend me. I usually throw it away and mutter bite me, as I have one customer in NH. (But he makes it worthwhile!)

I was googling around the PA statutes to see what their punishment would be, and didn't find that, but I found this:

(I) The term "wine" as used in this section shall mean liquor which is fermented from grapes and other fruits, having alcoholic content of twenty-four per centum or less. The term "wine" shall not include malt or brewed beverages, nor shall wine include any products containing alcohol derived from malt, grain, cereal, molasses or cactus.

That's good to know.

Also, in the Pennsylvania forum, for anyone who's interested, is a A Chat with Jonathan H. Newman, Chairman PLCB

[marinade]

Thanks ‘Rose & Brad. The deal was that we were in California and shipping to Pa. I had found a shipper who reluctantly agree to do it and I asked the shipper to stagger ship the cases (one every other day). Wineries are able to ship if they meet certain criteria. But what seems to be an issue is an individual shipping out of CA via a mailing service. The shippers mentioned a new law that was enacted last April. I’m wondering if this just applies to wine shipped from other than a winery. The question I have is how do wine clubs do it?

Edited July 7, 2005 by marinade (log)

[Rebel Rose]

Ah. It's true that individuals can no longer ship wine. That seems unreasonably harsh to me. I think the logic is that while wineries, carriers and UPS stores are aware of the various state laws regarding shipping, individuals usually have no notion of what's legal where. But really. How much wine can one person ship to himself. All right, maybe that's the wrong question to ask in this forum , but it's not as though individuals are going to sneak pallets of wine (56 cases) across state borders one at a time!