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Diverse Wines, Complex Laws

While the number of breweries has taken off, the number of wineries has grown rapidly, too. “In the 1960s there were about 300 wineries in the United States, and now there are over 5,000,” says Jeremy Benson, executive director of the wine-promoting organization Free the Grapes. He explains that most of these wineries are family owned and operated, with just four or five employees. These small wineries aren’t producing the cheapest wines available on the market, but they’re making small batches with distinctive flavors, and increasingly they’ve become popular stops for tourists.

Though wine production in the United States is usually associated with California, wineries and vineyards are actually widespread; there’s now at least one winery in each of the 50 states. Most states are using locally adapted grapes or other kinds of fruit entirely, such as cherries, plums or elderberries. The end product may be unfamiliar to those accustomed to cabernet, chardonnay and other grape varieties that grow well in warm, dry climates — such as those of France, Italy and California. But the wide diversity of wines available across the country is a wonderful opportunity for adventurous wine tasters and those seeking local flavor.

But there’s a reason the organization Benson works for is called “Free the Grapes.” While small wineries around the country are becoming popular, the laws about shipping wine are oddly complex. It’s easy if the great new winery you’ve discovered is within your home state. But if you fall in love with a winery across one or more state lines, you may or may not be able to have it shipped to your home. The same thing is true if you want to buy organic wine and search for a source online.

In 33 states — at last count — shipping wine directly to the customer is perfectly legal; in the 17 others, it’s not. And the penalties for wineries that ship wine illegally are enough to put them out of business. It’s such a complex legal situation, it actually went to the Supreme Court in 2005. The good news is that a favorable court decision has changed the laws in several states, and the majority of people in the United States can now freely order wine from out of state.

Benson says the best way to find out whether wine can be shipped to your home is to contact the individual winery you’re interested in. You can also find more information about state laws here.

Beer Goes Organic

While the growth of small breweries and wineries is driven by people exploring new and better flavors, organic breweries and wineries are growing because of the desire for natural, sustainably grown ingredients, and their increasing availability. Abram Goldman-Armstrong is one of the founders of the Organic Brewers Organization, an association of brewpubs and microbreweries that produce organic beer.

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