Finally! Internet wines sales in Ga!

It has been a long time coming and it didn’t happen without a great deal of opposition, but last week, Governor Sonny Purdue signed a bill, which will allow Georgians to buy wine over the internet or by phone. This is great news for all of the wine lovers throughout the state. We will now have the ability to get wines from all around the world shipped to your door. Before you could only get a winery to ship to your door if you were there at the winery. That was not very feasible for most people. This new law goes into effect on July 1st! But there could still be some snags when shopping on-line. If the winery doesn’t have a license to ship to Georgia, it cannot fill the sale. They must apply for a shipping license and they take about 20 days to get approval. They are able to apply for a license now, but I am sure it is going to take some time for all of the wineries to get their licenses. But of course if there is a high demand from shoppers in Georgia, they will make it a priority.

There are a few stipulations for this new law. The main one being that wineries can’t legally ship more than 12 standard cases of wine to one address or person per year. But with so many good wineries to choose from, I don’t see that being a problem for me! Also, you must have your age verified using online verification. This is not a big deal and should not discourage anyone from ordering if they are of legal age. There were some people who fear that kids will try to order wine for themselves, but I don’t think that is a valid concern. How many kids do you know who can afford a case of wine or plan on ordering wine for a party 2-3 weeks down the road? I know I never thought like that or had the money to afford anything more than one bottle of Boones Farm!

There was another law signed by Governor Perdue last week that effects wine drinkers. This one allows a restaurant customer with a receipt from dinner to take home an unfinished bottle of wine. As long as it is resealed, bagged and stowed in the trunk or glove box. These are all big wins for wine drinkers, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if you think Sunday Sales is next. As long as Perdue is in office, that bill will get vetoed every time. But at least we are stepping in the right direction!