At the end of the week, I checked out the updates on HR 5034. This bill gives one the sense that this will be the demise of many wineries. It seems the law would reinforce individual states rights to decide whether in state and out-of-state alcohol shipping would be allowed or disallowed with no recourse to the federal government.

Numerous wineries are dependent upon being able to sell wine out-of-state. What will happen to the small, boutique wineries if out of state wine shipping is disallowed? Some are suggesting that they will have to close. While large wineries can usually find a distributor to work with many small wineries cannot. Can the US afford to have wineries close and add more workers to the unemployment roles?

As I frequently voice, wine is a legal beverage, why shouldn’t I be able to purchase wine from a winery out side of the state and have it shipped to me. As a resident of Maryland, I feel that my rights as a citizen are limited since wine is a legal beverage.

Today I checked out the HR 5034 on govtrack.us website, A Civic Project to Track Congress, and discovered at the bottom of the HR 5034 page people can write in a short question and receive an answer. So far only one question has been asked and it dates back to June 2010 but it is reflective of what might happen if HR5034 is passed. In substance the question is about how, if passed the HR 5034 bill would affect an individual who wants to purchase rare whiskies. The answer: “Answered by a visitor on Jun 18, 2010 7:21 PM – Under the passage of this bill, it would depend on the state in which you live. This bill allows the primary authority to regulate interstate shipping of alcohol to remain in the hands of the states, as opposed to the federal government. If you currently live in a state that allows direct-to-consumer shipping, you should not be affected.”

Shouldn’t citizens of the US be treated equally? I don’t purchase rare wines but I have enjoyed wines that can only be obtained at a winery or online. Since wine is a legal beverage why shouldn’t I be treated the same as every law-abiding citizen in the US?