SHIPPING WINE FROM STATE TO STATE AS EASY AS 1-2-3

(PRLEAP.COM) The once ecommerce-shy wine enthusiast can now utilize a wine portal to purchase a broader, more diverse selection of wine. Along the way, they can also circumvent the confusing quagmire of direct shipping laws, a roadblock which has stifled the $26 billion US wine industry in its bid to get a fair share of the holiday ecommerce pie.

According to Forrester Research, overall ecommerce numbers are expected to reach $27 billion for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a 23% increase over 2005. Increased online security, further proliferation of broadband, internet ease of use, and lifestyle behavioral changes have all played a part in increasing consumer confidence in purchasing holiday gifts online. This paves the way for sites like Appellation America, the premier online wine portal for the North American wine industry.

“When you get right down to it, sharing and sending wine to relatives in different states used to be quite a challenge,” comments Eric Quanstrom, Executive Director of Wine for Appellation America.

“We’ve concentrated on making it easy for Aunt Betty in New York to send a Hamptons, Long Island Chardonnay to Cousin Bob in Santa Barbara and for Bob to send a prized Pinot Noir to Aunt Betty in New York. The beauty of this model is that it provides the insight into what each wine growing region is all about.”

Appellation America is making it easy for novice and expert wine connoisseurs alike to explore and discover artisan wines, with a focus on place. This service, combined with available ship-to states clearly delineated means that the wine gift-giver now has an easy, one-stop shop for great American wines.

Appellation America is the premier online wine portal focusing on the wines, wine regions and winemakers of North America. In addition to providing in-depth information about North America’s varied growing regions and the grapes grown in them, daily wine recommendations, an online wine store and unique informational pages for 3,500 wineries, Appellation America employs one of the most impressive and experienced editorial teams in wine publishing. Numerous articles exploring North American wines and the men and women who make them are published weekly.

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*Supreme Court Ruling Snapshot: In an opinion written by Justice Kennedy, the Supreme Court ruled that restricting the ability of out-of-state wineries to ship directly to consumers violates the U.S. Constitution dormant Commerce Clause in light of Section 2 of the 21st amendment. “States have a broad power to regulate liquor,” he wrote. “This power, however, does not allow States to ban, or severely limit, the direct shipment of out-of-state wine while simultaneously authorizing direct shipment by in-state producers. If a state chooses to allow direct shipment of wine, it must do so on evenhanded terms. Without demonstrating the need for discrimination, New York and Michigan have enacted regulations that disadvantage out-of-state wine producers. Under our Commerce Clause jurisprudence, these regulations cannot stand.” States must extend equal privileges to in-state and out-of-state wineries. Analysis taken from http://www.wineistitute.org.

Full State Supreme Court Ruling: http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-1116.ZS.html

Individual State Shipping Laws: http://wi.shipcompliant.com/Home.aspx

Editors note: Screenshots and interviews available.

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Contact: Pamela Heisey, 415.424.0630

Appellation America
The Flatiron Building - 9th Floor
1 Sutter Street, Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94104

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