The Michigan liquor regulator reconsiders push to ban direct shipments of alcohol.
WASHINGTON -- The state's top liquor regulator is
reconsidering her push to ban instate direct shipments of wine to
comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week that said both
intrastate and interstate sales have to be treated equally.
Nida Samona, head of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, is
considering options that include opening direct-to-consumer sales to
out-of-state wineries and implementing a permitting process.
That process would require all wineries that want to sell in the
state to register and follow certain rules, said Ken Wozniak, director
of executive services for the five-member panel.
"She's leaving her mind open to looking at other alternatives," Wozniak said.
Samona said she would press the Legislature to stop all but
face-to-face alcohol sales in an effort to prevent minors from getting
wine online after the Supreme Court handed down its 5-4 ruling Monday.
Winemakers have been "absolutely horrified" since the announcement,
said Donald Coe, president of WineMichigan, a trade association of
producers and the proprietor of Black Star Farms on Suttons Bay.
"They have been bombarding me, and we have been going to the
Legislature," said Coe, who said some of the state's smallest wineries
rely on direct shipment for 30 percent of their sales.
Jon Latimer of Royal Oak said he doesn't drink, but he "went through
the roof" when he heard Samona would choose to end sales in Michigan to
protect minors he thinks are much more likely to buy a six-pack of beer
at a corner party store than order wine online.
"I don't think she anticipated what kind of backlash she was going to get when she made that statement," Latimer said.
"As tough as the economic situation is in Michigan, you'd think
anything we can do to jack it up a little bit, like selling a couple
cases of wine, we'd do it," he added. "Instead, we sit in economic
squalor."
You can reach Lisa Zagaroli at (202) 906-8206 or lzagaroli@detnews.com.
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