Former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, was recently back in the news for completely different
reasons. This past March, he visited the State House to lobby for wine shipment reform in Massachusetts.
Bledsoe, who owns a winery in
Washington State, feels that the State's current laws, M.G.L. c.138, s.19F, prohibiting sales
of direct mail order wine, are unnecessary and constrain business. There are thirty-nine states which currently allow the shipment of wine with various regulations
in place. Many Massachusetts consumers agree with Bledsoe, along with other vintners, that Massachusetts should be the
next State in the growing number.
In 2010, an appeal was
filed by the State of Massachusetts for the Federal case, Family Winemakers of California (FWC) v. Jenkins, 592 F. 3d 1, after the District Court ruled that banning personal
shipments of wine was unconstitutional in 2008. The Appeals Court reaffirmed the
decision, making room for a possible change in Massachusetts wine laws.
Bill H. 294, would allow wine shipments, provided that several
regulations are followed. To learn more about the
cause, visit the Free the Grapes website, which is devoted to legalizing
winery-to-consumer wine shipments in all 50 States.
