Monday, August 27, 2007

Illinois - ne proposed winery law

For those interested in wineries and the interstate shipping issues may want to look at the proposed Illinois law. Here is a description from The Chicago Tribune:

The new law, which was passed by the Senate last week and now awaits the governor's signature, would allow smaller wineries making under 25,000 gallons of wine -- that's 98 percent of all the state's wineries -- to sell up to 5,000 gallons (about 2,100 cases) directly to stores and restaurants. Larger wineries that make more than 25,000 gallons have to sell via wholesalers. Currently, they can sell up to 10,000 gallons to retailers and restaurants.

For Illinois consumers, though, one of the biggest changes will be that they can now buy up to 12 cases of wine per person per year directly from any Illinois winery; same holds for buying from out-of-state wineries that obtain the necessary permits. The old law allowed unlimited shipping of wine by Illinois wineries to state residents but limited to two cases the wine that could be sold directly to Illinois consumers from wineries in states that had so-called reciprocal shipping privileges with Illinois.
I have not written much on this blog about Indiana's law on interstate shipping of wine. I have written a post on the subject on another of my blogs. That post is here.