Let wineries ship to their customers

Allowing direct shipping is good for small N.J. wineries and good for wine drinkers.

New Jersey won't soon be mistaken for California's Napa Valley as a world-renowned wine-producing region. But the state has nearly 40 small wineries that produce an array of wines that have gained a foothold in New Jersey's vibrant wine market.

We say, let these vinters have the full freedom to sell their products, and let New Jerseyans of legal age shop as they please for the wines they like by making the Garden State the 38th state to allow producers to ship wine directly to customers.

In December, a federal appeals court essentially said New Jersey can no longer have a system that provides an advantage to New Jersey wineries in selling their products that out-of-state wineries don't have. New Jersey wineries, under the system now in place, can't ship their wines directly to customers. But they can sell their wines on their winery premises. They also can sell directly to restaurants and liquor stores. And they can sell to customers through about two dozen outlets on their own or with partners. This system does, indeed, open doors for New Jersey's small wineries that aren't really open to wineries in California, Oregon or elsewhere.

The lawsuit that led to this decision was pushed by a coalition of wineries, consumers and retailers based in Napa, Calif., who want direct access to the lucrative New Jersey market. New Jerseyans, it turns out, have a taste for good wine. More bottles of wine priced at $24.99 and higher are sold here than in any other state.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling seems to leave only two options for legislators in Trenton. Scrap the current system altogether -- allow no direct sales by wineries to restaurants and stores, no sales on winery premises and no outlets -- or open the gates all the way and allow all wineries, in-state and out-of-state, to ship directly to customers, thus giving out-of-state wineries equal access to sell to consumers here.

We say, the latter choice is best. Closing up shop and not allowing wineries to sell on their premises or sell to restaurants and stores would crush New Jersey's vinters. Local wineries in South Jersey such as Valenzano in Shamong, Heritage Vineyards in Richwood, Cedarville in Logan and Sharrott in Winslow would likely go out of business if their ability to sell to New Jerseyans was scaled back to the same access out-of-state wineries have here.

So then, it comes down to allowing New Jerseyans the right to buy wine in the same way they buy so many other products -- by placing an order online or by phone and having the product mailed directly to their home.

Why not, really? In most states, where this is allowed, there are steps that must be taken so buyers prove they're 21 or older. It shouldn't be that hard to set up. There are no statistics showing that allowing direct shipping of wine leads to a spike in underage drinking. Let's face it -- how many teenagers would really go to this trouble just to get expensive wine. Probably not too many. By and large, teens drink beer and liquor.

One of the bonuses of allowing direct shipping to consumers is that New Jerseyans who travel to another state, visit a winery and like a wine they tasted there would be able to buy that wine, even if it's not in stores here.

The state Senate, last year, overwhelmingly passed legislation to allow direct shipping of wines to customers in New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie is expected to sign such legislation, if it comes to his desk.

It's time for the state Assembly to pass A1702 and settle this issue. Some liquor stores in the state would no doubt lose some business because of direct shipping. But we find it hard to believe the bulk of New Jersey's wine drinkers wouldn't continue to purchase most, if not all, of their wine in stores, as they always have.

Allowing the direct shipping of wine to consumers will continue to allow New Jersey's small wineries to sell as they have and also to reach wine lovers in other states. That's good for them and good for South Jersey since most of the Garden State's wineries are here.