New wine sellers group pushes for cross-state Internet sales

In an effort to expand the market for cross-state wine sales, a group of e-retailers and other direct merchants has formed the Specialty Wine Retailers Association.

The Sacramento, CA-based group seeks to build on a May 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has led to 33 states allowing licensed, out-of-state wineries to ship directly to consumers within those states. Lesley P. Burglund, president of the SWRA, contends that the Supreme Court ruling applied to both wineries and retailers, but that many states simply don’t extend cross-border shipping rights to retailers. “Only 12 states, at most, allow retailers to do the same,” he said.