Consumer-Direct Wine Shipments Get Support
By George Anderson
New York governor George Pataki has proposed legislation that would allow sellers in other states to ship wine directly to consumers in his state and give resident vintners permission
to ship product to other states.
Mr. Pataki’s proposal reflects a political change of heart. The Republican governor had vetoed a similar message that came to his desk nine years ago, reports the Associated
Press.
A spokesperson for the governor, Kevin Quinn said: “It’s been almost nine years (since the veto) and we’ve re-evaluated the issue. The wine market is definitely much more expanded
than it was in 1995 and we think it would benefit consumers in the long run to have this option.”
Not everyone agrees. Wine retailers in the state oppose the measure and predict approval of a bill as outlined by Mr. Pataki will eventually result in lost revenues for the state.
The governor estimates that approval of this measure would bring an additional $3 million a year to the state’s coffers.
Moderator’s Comment: Will approval of a consumer-direct wine shipment bill increase wine consumption substantially or simply amount to a transfer of
purchases from a store to online/phone ordering?
While we support consumer-direct wine shipments, we find it hard to believe it will result in any sizeable revenue increases for the state. The measure
would have to result in an overall increase in consumption for that to happen and we simply don’t see it happening. –
George
Anderson – Moderator