Supreme Court strikes down wine shipment ban This appears to be a very limited victory for small wineries. They can only benefit if the state they are shipping to allows wineries to ship in state. Believe me the wholesalers will make sure legislatures will close this "loophole". What it means is of course higher prices to the consumer as the cost of lobbying is pbutted on to the very people the Supremes wanted to help, the consumer. Besides the legal issues you have to get UPS-FED EX etc to agree to ship. If a wineries wine touches ground in a state who doesn't allow local wineries to ship in state-the wines can be confiscated. Say you ship a wine from West Virginia to Washington DC which has no wineries or restrictions by air or ground and it sits in Hagerstown Md for 10 minutes or day. Md can confiscate. Shipping companies aren't going to let that happen!!! Besides wholesalers, most retailers don't like local wineries to ship in state especially if the state allows the winery to charge less to a consumer than they'd pay in the store. So if the winery has an in-state wholesaler--the wholesalers and retailers mark ups are added to the consumers price. Even if legal wineries who undercut retail prices can be boycotted by the store. Most consumers have a limited understanding of the liquor trade. Wholesalers and Retailers believe they are enbreastled to get a share of the sale of any alcoholic product available in a State. Its like buying a small store in a controlled state is a guaranteed income. Any bottle or keg sold outside of the 3 tier system is worse than Communism and Socialism ever was is the war cry of the lobbyists who call consumers who to buy outside the system "elitists", "yuppies" and worse things. Yes, the Supremes moved things along a bit, and I'm sure the big liquor guys will make sure that the next Supreme Court appointment by 'Dubya" stays bought. So you need a person who'll put the tube back in Mrs. Shivo, ban end and continue monopololistic practices in the liquor bidness............. it 
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