Wine shipping bill headed for Tenn. Senate vote

A proposal to allow Tennessee consumers to have wine shipped directly to their homes has been advanced to a full Senate vote.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted 6-1 on Tuesday in favor of the measure sponsored by Sen. Paul Stanley (nyse: SXE - news - people ), a Germantown Republican.

"This allows consumers to ship wine in from wineries, for example from California," Stanley told the panel. "Currently under state statute it is a felony under many different areas to transport wine across state lines."

Tennessee is one of 15 states that bans direct shipment of wine, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California wineries and wine businesses.

Under Stanley's proposal, wineries that acquire a $300 license could ship up to 12 cases to Tennessee consumers per year.

Sen. Tim Burchett, a Knoxville Republican, cast the lone vote against the measure. He said he's worried that Tennessee regulators will have no way to enforce state laws on out-of-state wineries.

The House has yet to vote on the companion measure in the Local Government Subcommittee.