Talk to a legislator about the bill to allow Tennesseans to purchase wine online and have it shipped, and you’re likely to encounter the response that the law is designed to keep alcohol from minors.<\/p>\n
Bovineoffal.<\/p>\n
The Tennessean<\/a> captures it more accurately:<\/p>\n To outsiders, the debate may seem like an arcane regulatory struggle. But wine enthusiasts have found common cause with free-marketeers who argue that systems such as Tennessee’s, which relies on large wholesalers, stifles free enterprise and a booming Internet wine market, to the detriment of consumers.<\/p>\n Such laws are under scrutiny because of a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that shook up a long-standing system of wine distribution and helped spur a boom of Internet wine sales.<\/p>\n The debate has pitted small vineyards, wine collectors and specialty retailers against large distributors that have dominated wine distribution since Prohibition.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pure and simple, our current system creates a protected monopoly for middlemen who both stifle the choices available to consumers and inflate prices.<\/p>\n The biggest barrier to changing Tennessee’s laws, according to critics, is the lobbying clout of alcohol wholesalers. Wholesalers donated some $50 million to state political campaigns between 2000 and 2006; more than $800,000 was spent in Tennessee, said Tom Wark, the executive director of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association.<\/p>\n "If I was a wholesaler, I’d be concerned about maintaining a monopoly, too," Wark said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Today would be a good day to e-mail your state senator<\/a> and state representative<\/a>, and express your support for this concept. While you’re at it, you might also consider expressing support for allowing wine sales in grocery stores — another measure that would improve price and selection for the consumer.<\/p>\n I spoke to Sen. McNally about it last week, and pointed out that it makes little sense to me that we don’t allow wine to be sold in a grocery store, but it’s perfectly okay to sell beer in a gas station. What message does that send??<\/em><\/p>\n As a mother of teenagers, I’m quite on board with efforts to deter alcohol sales to minors. However, given that retailers are now required to check ID for anyone purchasing alcohol — including obvious senior citizens — it really doesn’t make a hill of beans’ worth of difference where <\/em>the products are sold. What matters is diligence in following the law, ensuring that the purchaser is 21 or older. That’s not too hard.<\/p>\n The current law supports archaic protectionism and unfair restrictions of trade, and it’s wrong. Make some noise!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Talk to a legislator about the bill to allow Tennesseans to purchase wine online and have it shipped, and you’re likely to encounter the response that the law is designed to keep alcohol from minors. Bovineoffal. The Tennessean captures it … Continue reading \n
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