How To Mail Alcohol Out
When you cross state lines, the shipment of alcohol becomes more difficult. That its because you now must meet the requirements and regulations in both the state youre shipping from and the state youre shipping to.
There is a loophole that helps consumers ship beer, liquor, and wine to other states if that other state permits the shipment of alcohol to consumers. Instead of shipping a bottle from your state to their state, simply find a retailer based in the state youre shipping to and order it from that retailer. That way the retailer wont need to cross state lines and only meet the rules of their states alcohol regulation board.
Do you own a brewery, distillery, or winery? Learn how to serve a food menu with 2ndKitchen.
Why Us Buyers Cant Get Wine From British Columbia
Sommelier Zach Geballe details his quest to get Okanagan Valley wines onto his listand whats standing in the way
As the wine buyer for one of Seattles top restaurants, Dahlia Lounge, if I want to put a wine on my list, I typically can, with few constraints. Some select wines are allocated or out of stock, but I can always easily find a reasonable alternative.
Yet after I visited the Okanagan Valleythe dominant wine region of British Columbia , with around 84 percent of the provinces vineyards, according to the British Columbia Wine Institute nearly three years ago, I was determined to get my hands on some of the great wines that are produced in this region that has more than 10,000 acres under vine, to no avail. Ive had meetings with Canadian winemakers, American importers, and even the Canadian consulate, but there are still only a handful of B.C. wines available in the U.S. In the Seattle market, I can order more wine from Karnataka, India, which is approximately 8,000 miles away, than from Kelowna, British Columbia, which is just 190 miles away. What explains this disconnectand why is it so difficult for U.S. buyers to source wines from this Canadian region?
We Are Having Extreme Weather Conditions; Will My Delivery Be Safe
Total Wine & More may hold a wine shipment during extremely hot weather to protect the quality of items purchased. These occurrences are most likely during summer months in southwestern states. When we temporarily hold your shipment, well notify you by email. Well also post a message on TotalWine.com so shoppers know new orders may be delayed.
You May Like: Where Can I Buy Black Box Wine
These Wine Of The Month Clubs Ship Wine To Maryland
Our wine of the month club ratings system looks at quality-to-price ratio, shipping costs, and unique wine club features. While not all wine clubs can send wine to all states, all of these wine subscriptions and wine club giftscan be shipped to Maryland. We do our best to make sure this list is accurate, but as shipping laws change, so do the shipping policies of subscription services.
Note: A dry community is one in which sales of alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Maryland does not have any dry communities. Get more info about MD wine delivery rules and regulations.
FYI: I find great wine deals so you dont have to. To keep me on the hunt, I earn a commission when you buy wine based on my recommendations.
How To Ship Alcohol Internationally
Importing and exporting alcohol across country borders presents even more challenges. Youll now need to meet state, city, and country laws, as well as be familiar with exporting and importing laws.
Youll need to ensure that the distributor sending the shipment has the correct permits or the US government can seize your shipment. Youll also need to be aware of taxes and duties for international beer, spirit, and wine imports.
We recommend not managing international alcohol shipping yourself instead, work with reliable third-party retailers and compliance companies to ship beer, liquor, and wine orders.
Stay on top of the latest alcohol trends and regulations
Recommended Reading: How Many Carbs In Wine
Does Glassware Make A Difference
Dixie cup or fine crystal? Riedel or IKEA? The key to a good wine glass is simple: it must allow you to see, smell, swirl and sip your wine accordingly. This rules out painted and colored glass and typical cocktail glasses. An ideal wine glass is not necessarily expensive, but will have a tulip shape a bowl at the bottom with a narrower opening at the top, allowing a wines aromatics to escape just far enough for your nose to catch. Fine, hand-blown crystal such as Riedel does make a difference when truly analyzing wine, but any appropriately-styled glassware does the job. Some wine glass makers even specialize the shape of the glass to grape variety! Just remember to look for clear, tulip shaped glasses, and youll thoroughly enjoy your wine with every sip.
Read Also: Will You Be My Bridesmaid Wine
Why Interstate Wine Shipping Is So Complicated
Direct-to-Consumer alcohol shipping is governed by individual state regulations, and any person or business looking to legally ship wine needs a DTC license. For most alcohol retailers, the license is covered by their off-premise wine sales licenses. A California retailer, for example, can generally legally ship wine to residents of California.
If an out-of-state entity wants to obtain a license to legally ship wine to another state, however, it must apply for a separate, specific DTC license.
According to Alex Koral, industry relations advisor for ShipCompliant, a company that works with wineries to facilitate compliance, there are currently 42 states that offer out-of-state entities licenses to ship DTC in their states. Residents of Utah, Oklahoma, Delaware, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky may not receive any DTC wine shipments, for the most part; in Utah, non-compliance is actually a felony.
Also Check: What Is The Best Temperature For Wine Cooler
How To Get Wine Delivered In Washington
Whether you are shipping to yourself, a friend, a colleague, or a family member, you must purchase alcohol and have it mailed by an entity with a valid liquor license. As a non-licensee it is never legal for you to ship alcohol yourself in the United States, much less to WA residents. Wine may be delivered via FedEx, UPS, or other private shippers, but the USPS does not permit the shipping of alcohol of any kind. These types of services deliver wine to WA: wine subscriptions, wine stores, same-day delivery, wine gift services, and wineries.
Wine Subscriptions: Some wine of the month clubs are both retailers and wineries , so they are able to ship wine as a producer . There are other legal ways to ship wine to Washington residents but we dont check how each wine subscription service goes about doing it companies who offer wine subscriptions are responsible for the legalities of their shipping policies. Wine clubs that ship to Washington
Wine Stores:In Washington, outdated wine shipping laws going back to Prohibition are still in place, impeding or outright preventing interstate shipping of alcohol from retailers directly to consumers. Since you are affected by these outdated laws, we recommend communicating with your state legislature through the action form at Free The Grapes!Wine stores that ship to Washington
Importance Of Clean Plants And Quarantines
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Regardless of whether you are a commercial grape producer or a backyard enthusiast, Washington State has strict quarantines regarding where your grapes come from. DO NOT bring back grape plants from your trips abroad . Doing so may result in very strict fines, but more importantly, may bring in diseases and pests that could severely hurt the commercial grape industry. ONLY buy stock from reputable nurseries. All plant materials originating outside of WA need to be inspected by the WSDA upon arrival; notify the nursery that they need to include an origination certificate with the shipment. Just because an out-of-state nursery will ship to you, does not mean it is legal to do so. More information on planting clean and WA quarantines are found here:
Don’t Miss: How To Get Red Wine Stain Out Of Tablecloth
Can You Ship Wine To California
For retailers and non-retailers alike, making sense of shipping regulations when it comes to shipping alcohol in the United States can be challenging. Each state not only creates its own regulations regarding alcohol shipments, but individual counties within that state may also have fashioned their own rules. So, the question of the day is: can you ship wine to California?
The short answer is, yes, you can. Individuals or retailers with the proper licensing can ship alcohol to California, or from California to different states. Where you live, where and who you are sending to, and how much wine you want to ship are all questions that should be asked before you take your package to the nearest post office.
Can I ship wine to California? Individuals without the proper licenses are not allowed to send alcohol. USPS prohibits the shipping of alcohol by individuals. People who want to ship wine through FedEx or UPS can do so, but have to have the right license and sign an agreement with their chosen shipping carrier. This typically means you must be a commercial entity. At the other end of the shipment, an adult over the age of 21 must sign for the package to obtain it legally.;
States that have banned the shipping of alcohol are:
- Alabama
- Rhode Island
- Utah
These Wine Of The Month Clubs Ship Wine To Washington
Our wine of the month club ratings system looks at quality-to-price ratio, shipping costs, and unique wine club features. While not all wine clubs can send wine to all states, all of these wine subscriptions and wine club giftscan be shipped to Washington. We do our best to make sure this list is accurate, but as shipping laws change, so do the shipping policies of subscription services. Get more info about WA wine delivery rules and regulations.
FYI: I find great wine deals so you dont have to. To keep me on the hunt, I earn a commission when you buy wine based on my recommendations.
For You Save $100 on your first 6-bottle case, just $39.99. Shipping included. Voucher code is already entered. .
Wine club ships to Washington
#1 Best Overall / #1 Best Red / #1 Best White
Naked Wines isnt really a wine club the way you think of one, but its a personalized wine buying service that you pay into on a monthly subscription so we treat it like one. It also happens to be the most interesting wine club weve come across in a while.
The list of things we love about Naked Wines is long, but here are some of our favorite bits: the wines we tried were excellent and priced exceptionally well; the winemakers interact with commenters on a regular basis; you can make this wine club anything you want it to be.
For You Join today and save $50 on your first box of wine personalized by you and picked by a sommelier. Use code PICK50 at checkout.
Wine club ships to Washington
Read Also: What Wine Has The Lowest Calories
Will Digital Retailers Be Affected
Retailers like Wine.com and national retail chains like Total Wine & More are not typically affected by DTC shipping restrictions because they have considerable resources. Total Wine & More, for instance, has brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S., all of which have in-state sales licenses with which they can ship wine orders. Online retailers without physical locations may have the ability to be present in states that do not allow DTC retailer shipping to get around these barriers, through local warehouses or retail partners.
We are licensed and pay sales and excise taxes in the states where we need to, Rich Bergsund, CEO of Wine.com, says. This includes operating our own local warehouses which carry retail licenses just like a store in states where that is necessary. Bergsund stresses that these changes will not effect Wine.com consumers.
Unfortunately, smaller, specialty retailers typically cannot afford to operate local warehouses to get wines across state lines.
Other wine sales sites, like Vivinos Marketplace, merely act as an intermediary between consumers and local retailers, so consumers shouldnt have an issue using these types of sites. However, wine lovers should pay attention to the retailers to which they are directed; even if a wine shop in New Jersey is just a few miles away, a Manhattan-dweller is not explicitly allowed to purchase wine and ship it into New York.
Bottom Line: The Safest Bet Is To Buy Wine From Within Your State
Given the intricacies of DTC wine shipping, buying bottles across state lines is an exceedingly complicated mission. Its hard for consumers to know whether any winery or retailer holds the requisite licenses. While its rare for a consumer to receive a fine for illegal wine shipping, increasing pressure from regulators might lead to more penalties as well. Technically, you could be fined for personally carrying a bottle of wine into a state that does not allow out-of-state shipping.
Participating in a wine club or purchasing wine directly through a winery is a fairly safe bet, as is purchasing wine from a large retailer that holds a retail license in your state.
The only truly safe way to purchase wine for shipment is to buy from an in-state retailer or winery. Ninety-nine percent of the time, simply by holding a retail or winery sales license, these entities are automatically allowed to ship wine to consumers in-state. If this playing-it-safe mentality just isnt your style, you can certainly continue to attempt out-of-state purchases; retailers probably arent going to quit interstate shipping overnight. But you might want to consider contacting your local state legislators directly, or supporting an organization like Free the Grapes, which campaigns to change state alcohol legislation.
Read Also: Where Can I Buy Seven Sisters Wine
What Are The Different Shipping Methods
The available options for shipping are: Overnight, 2-Day Air and Ground. In most cases we are shipping within the ship to state, which allows Ground shipping orders to deliver in one to two business days. Overnight and 2-Day Air delivers Monday-Friday only. Ground service includes delivery through Saturday.
What About Independent Wine Clubs
Wine clubs that are not run by wineries, such as the Wall Street Journal Wine Club, Wine Awesomeness, and International Wine of the Month Club, will be affected differently based on how they operate.
Wine clubs that source juice from producers and then bottle it under their own labels can technically apply for a winery shipping license. Alternatively, wine clubs might partner with local retailers or operate local warehouses to fulfill orders, rather than shipping them across state lines.
While there are legal ways for independent wine clubs to operate, these businesses are far more likely to be affected by stricter shipping regulations.
Wine clubs must understand the requirements which are constantly changing otherwise, they risk acting in non-compliance without even knowing until they are caught, Koral says. Though we cannot condone it, there are always some out there that do understand and are still willing to risk violating laws.
Of the wine clubs that VinePair reached out to, Logan Lee, CEO of Wine Awesomeness, noted that its; members will not be affected, while Wine Access declined to comment.
You May Like: How To Get Red Wine Out Of A White Shirt
What Wine Companies Ship To Washington
Why waste time finding the perfect wine only to find out you cant get it shipped to Washington? The good news is, some wine stores, wine subscriptions, and wine gift services deliver wine to Washington. Start your shopping with our verified list of wine sellers who offer delivery to Washington. This is not a complete list.
FYI: I find great wine deals so you dont have to. To keep me on the hunt, I earn a commission when you buy wine based on my recommendations.
How To Ship Wine: General Overview
First of all, the;most important thing to keep in mind is that its illegal for one individual to ship any amount of wine to another person through the mail in the United States, regardless of where you live or whether you try the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx.
That doesnt mean you cant send wine to someone but you cant just stuff it in a box and slap a few stamps on it. Unless youre willing to take a big risk and break the law, to ship;wine you need to buy it from a company whos;certified to deliver it. The good news is, plenty of companies are licensed to ship wine to most states.;
Depending on the quantity youre sending and where its going, there could be additional hurdles to overcome. For instance, if you want to send wine to a friend in Oklahoma, youre out of luck: The Sooner State doesnt allow it, and you might be looking at a felony if you get caught trying.
While the law is mostly the same in Delaware, theres one important loophole: If youre a resident of Delaware and youre visiting a winery in a different state, you can send yourself back a few bottles.;
The strictest laws, by far, are found in Utah, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and Delaware. Pay particularly close attention to the rules if youre sending wine to those states.;An updated master list of all the state law nuances can be found by searching the alcohol statutes over at The National Conference of State Legislatures website.;
Recommended Reading: Where Can I Buy Post Malone Rose Wine
