I’ll toast to that — let’s pass direct-to-consumer wine legislation this session

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Alabama we have another opportunity this session to help bring our state in line with the times.

This week, a bill to allow wine to be shipped directly from vineyards to consumers homes passed out of committee.

After all, is there any reason the government should be involved in deciding if a resident can have an otherwise lawful substance delivered to their home? So long as someone over 21 can drive to their neighborhood grocery store or heck even a gas station and get cheap wine why should laws prohibit someone else from ordering a bottle or case of the good stuff from an out of state winery? It makes no sense for a state of conservative lawmakers who value personal responsibility and a free-market to object to this.

Free the GrapesLooking at the Free the Grapes! website, you’ll see Alabama is only one of six states where direct-to-consumer wine purchases are prohibited. That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Come on Alabama, let’s get with it.

All of the reasons why this should continue to be prohibited are absurd. Our state wants additional tax revenues, this would do that. We want to continue to attract new business and have a more dynamic marketplace. This would do that. We want to attract people who not only have high incomes, but will employ people with high incomes, so let’s pass SB24 and satisfy consumer demand. Antiquated laws do nothing to further our state’s place in the competing market for increased quality of life and if you don’t think wine matters then you’ve never tasted a great Sine Qua Non Dark Blossom or another hard to get bottle.

While it might seem like a minor inconvenience, is an a completely unnecessary inconvenience that should be remedied.

If Free the Grapes! could get Alabamians to rally around the idea of home delivery of wine, the same way the Free the Hops movement got people to rally around updating our state’s antiquated beer and brewery laws — we could pass this in no time.

Here’s to hoping that legislators give us a reason to toast this session by rolling back these terrible prohibition-era laws.

1 COMMENT

  1. Let’s get Alabama out of the past and let us enjoy wines from states. The current system cost the state revenue.

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