Wine Lovers Send Corks to Their Congressmen

Dana Nigro
Posted: June 7, 1999

To send the message that U.S. consumers want to be able to order wines they can't find in their local markets, Napa-based Free the Grapes! is asking wine lovers to mail corks, or bunches of corks, to Congress. The move comes in response to anti-consumer legislation passed by the U.S. Senate last month that would help states prevent out-of-state wine from being shipped directly to their residents.

Free the Grapes!, a group of consumers, vintners and others involved in the wine industry, kicked off its "Uncork Consumer Access to Fine Wine" campaign on Saturday at the Napa Valley Wine Auction by signing up wine lovers and collecting corks. The group then presented a barrel of stoppers to U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, D-Calif., a founder of the Congressional Wine Caucus and supporter of direct shipping.

"The Congressional Wine Caucus has been working hard to educate our colleagues on the real issues of direct shipping  providing consumer access and protecting the ability of small wineries to conduct business," said Thompson at the event. "We are pleased to be receiving constituent support for our efforts."

In late May, the Senate approved an amendment to a juvenile-justice bill that gives states the authority to seek injunctions in federal court to enforce their bans on home deliveries. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., is backed by many alcoholic-beverage wholesalers, whose businesses may be threatened by the growth in Internet, phone and mail-order sales of wine.

The juvenile-justice bill has moved to a House committee for debate this week. While Thompson and wine caucus co-founder Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif., are fighting any attempts to include the Byrd amendment, Rep. Robert Ehrlich, R-Md., plans to introduce a separate, similar bill on direct shipping.

Free the Grapes! is promoting its cork campaign on its Web site (www.freethegrapes.org), where visitors can find the addresses of their legislators along with a sample letter to include with the corks.

For more on federal shipping legislation:

May 26, 1999
Direct-Shipping Battle Moves to House

May 19, 1999
Senate Approves Amendments to Restrict Home Delivery of Wine

March 19, 1999
Federal Legislators Craft New Bills on Direct Shipping

March 10, 1999
Senator Moves to Put More Bite Into States' Direct-Shipping Bans

For recent state legislative news:

June 4, 1999
Texas Narrowly Avoids Felony Bill on Interstate Wine Shipments

May 27, 1999
Wine Lovers Score Victory in Nevada, Mixed Results in Arizona

May 20, 1999
New York Tackles Internet Alcohol Sales

April 13, 1999
North Dakota Approves Limited Direct Shipping

For a comprehensive look at the direct shipping issue:

May 15, 1997
When Winemakers Become Criminals