Free the Grapes!: Following State Direct Shipping Laws Still Key to Improving Consumer Choice.

NAPA, Calif. -- The first provision in the Wine Industry Direct Shipping Code is for licensees to abide by state shipping laws, and the provision continues to be key to expanding choices available to wine consumers, according to Free the Grapes!, the consumer grassroots coalition that implemented the set of voluntary guidelines in 1999.

"With recent news of sting operations, it's important to keep in mind the longer term strategies that have helped to expand consumer choice," said Jeremy Benson, executive director of Free the Grapes! "Following the code's guidelines is not only the right thing to do, but also a proven, practical approach to helping wine lovers."

"The code and related model direct shipping bill have played a key role in demonstrating that limited, regulated direct shipping works," said Steve Gross, Free the Grapes! board member and director of state relations, Wine Institute. "The number of states which allow licensed wineries to ship wine interstate to consumers has risen from 17 to 33 in the last decade, and those states represent nearly 80% of wine consumption in the U.S."

The purpose of the voluntary code is to provide shippers with a framework which, when adopted, will ensure that direct shipment orders and deliveries are completed in a manner consistent with appropriate laws, satisfies consumer demand, and supports the tenets of Free the Grapes! Introduced on January 12, 1999, several of the code's principles were taken from the model direct shipment law, which was proposed by the Coalition for Free Trade, Family Winemakers of California, Wine Institute and American Vintners Association (now WineAmerica), and recommended for adoption by the National Conference of State Legislatures, Task Force on the Wine Industry, on November 5, 1997. The code can be viewed online at http://www.freethegrapes.org/wineries.html#code.