Wine Protectionism Returns:

In 2005 the Supreme court invalidated Michigan and New York state laws limiting direct-to-consumer sales by out-of-state wineries. In some states it appears that the benefits for oenophiles may be short lived. Here in Ohio, for example, the state legislature has just adopted a new law that will, once again, effectively prohibit direct-to-consumer sales by out-of-state wineries. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, a provision was quietly slipped into the state budget that will prohibit wineries that produce more than 63,000 cases per year from shipping wine directly to Ohio consumers. Conveniently enough, it appears that all of Ohio's own wineries produce less wine.