I'm upset that the final bill didn't include retail shipping provisions but in some ways I'm glad that we didn't see one house make an amendment that could have created issues in reconciliation, possibly delaying passage by ANOTHER year. For now I can live with something instead of nothing.

because...there isn't anything else important to discuss! Really?

FEED THE RICH!

This bill only helps the RICH who are too lazy to special order a bottle of wine from their local wine shop or liquor store.

Having worked in the wine distribution industry out of college, I have driven bottles of rare wines to snobby DC peoples' liquor and wine stores that they couldn't get locally. It's NOT BRAIN SURGERY. It's very easy to special order wines through a distributor or wine shop.

It's just RICH PEOPLE GETTING WHAT THEY WANT... CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN, SAVE MONEY, AND LAY OFF SOME EMPLOYEES TO CUT COSTS!

SHAME ON YOU STATE LEGISLATURE.

Meanwhile O'Malley claims he's out for the working class and poor?

PLEASE! DON'T MAKE ME PUKE!

Jesus. About friggin time. And no, there isn't anything more important for the MD General Assembly to discuss.

Sure joefab... let's just keep feeding the rich liquor store owners with special order requests.

And god forbid we create another competitor for the wholesaler conglomerates that limit our choices her in MD. Instead of being stuck with what they get the beat price on, now my rich ass can go right to the source instead. It's not like wine is any cheaper direct from the vineyard either (see rip off local vintner Boordy)

How exactly does this hurt the poor?

I love the whack a doo's that post on the Sun.

Hey Noname - get over it - there never should have been any prohibition on free commerce acoss state lines - UNCONSITUTIONAL!! I can't wait to buy my first case of Napa Valley and have it shipped without your panzy-A** getting a single penny in TIPS! LMAO!!

My apologies noname - it is indeed JoeFab I should have directed my rapier wit to.

Repier - s sharp sword pefect for thrusting quickly into one's enemy......hence the term "rapier wit".

Doesn't Governor O'Malley, Michael E. Busch, Mike Miller, & the State Legislature have anything better to do than to pass legislation that will CUT LOCAL JOBS?

So now the middle man will be cut out, local wine distributors will see sales declines as will local wine stores, and Marylanders will lose more jobs.

Unbelievable.

WELCOME TO THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF MARYLAND.

So, now that wine is shipped to anyone standing at the shipping address and a half dozen alcohol serving laws are being broken, how will the sales tax and the new dime a drink tax be collected? Will the Comptroller put these blue tooth tax dodgers on his list of deadbeats every year?

Its a shame that some are not able to fully understand the issue or its outcome. There are many wines that are simply unavailable in MD. Other wines only have a few bottles come into the state and are technically unavailable to most consumers since only a few well-connected customers obtain them. Purchasing a wine out of state is rarely cheaper than from a local retailer. Shipping alone often eats up any savings. No jobs will be lost by this bill as wines shipped direct account for less that 1% of wine purchased. Know the facts and educate yourself.

Its too bad retailers were not included in this billl as many MD retailers would have benefited by being allowed to sell over the internet to out of state buyers as well and actually sell more.

Comic-

If you think every home in the state that drinks wine is going to wait about a week for it to ship and not to go down the way to the local store for something in the meantime, you are out of your mind.

Also, this will not cripple distributors.

Note that this is only wine and does not legalize the shipment of beer or spirits into MD. I think they are going to be okay after all the dust clears.

Also, even if a job is lost in the distro industry, what about the local delivery companies that will handle the shipments?

The USPS does not ship liquid, and will not check ID's on delivery - therefore they will not and cannot handle these deliveries.

That leaves local couriers, FedEx, UPS to handle them.

Job gains, bucko, or at least zero-sum job loss.

And Joe-

I am barely middle class, but I do splurge on things I enjoy - wine is one of them.

I also know from my past experience from trying to order AND working at liquor stores, ordering through liquor stores is a major hassle that many clerks/owners/etc just don't want to deal with.

Yes, the service exists, but good luck actually getting it filled.

It seems hypocritical of the state to institute a 'dime a drink tax ' or an extra percentage point or two on spirits, wine and beer in the form of a sales tax for instate brick and mortar purchases and then relinquish any collection on purchases from click and order purchases. I guess the state is only in a budget crisis 'partly.'

The people criticizing the issue are really ignorant. If you think this new law will cost jobs then you really don't know anything about the issue or wine sales.

The shipper pays EXTRA to reruire UPS/FedEx to check ids of the people required to sign for the wine. You just CANNOT order some wines as they are not made available through the 3 tier system.

This is a watered down law, that will not allow me to buy wines from NY Times wine club and many others. This law precludes me from participating in wine auctions, or online Retail stores.

This law leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why would MD legislators restrict competition? Good MD wine stores WANT to be allowed to ship their special products anywhere the market is.

Why do legislators continue to "protect" the MD wholesale lobby and perceived threats to retailers?

Consumers should be able to buy wine in COSTCO. WALMART, GIANT, just like they can buy donuts. Good small business will survive, bad ones will die.

That's free enterprise.

Wow! so some people ordering wine is going to lead to the loss of jobs! Give me a break LOL! Marylanders are already driving to DC and VA to avoid the high taxes and reduced selection in MD. This will open up wine sales to MD wineries as well....How many MD wines do you see at your local liquor store? This is a long time coming...37 other states already do this. This is a win for the little guy and a loss for the Liquor lobby! Finally!

I've lived in DC and Virginia over the years and now live in Annapolis. As much as I love this state, these alcohol laws are absurd. Living in DC and VA, I never had to set foot in a liquor store to get good wine. Here, I have to go into downright seedy liquor stores to get a really bad selection, and at high prices. Now our government won't allow citizens to get wine from retailers? So our wholesalers can keep taking money from us not just for nothing--actually making our selections worse. The power of money on this process is just absolutely amazing. And disgusting. And by the way, these ridiculous arguments against shipment of wine just show how little the wholesalers respect the intelligence of Marylanders. I've already had too much of this attitude. Looks like I'll have to keep driving to DC.

Pete, this is not a win for the little guy, but a win for the liquor lobby. The lobby pushed this version of the bill and they got what they wanted.....restricted shipping. No retailer shipping = FAIL! Comicshero, you are wrong. I am a small distributor and i dont fear losing jobs, but fear losing open and free trade. If we can ship food goods freely, why not wine? We dont need tight government controls, but the freedom to buy and ship as we please. This is a bad bill, pushed and promoted by the MLBA and large wholesale(headquartered out of state) lobbyists.

Joe and Comic, you both got it tolally wring about jobs. Under this bill, the 38 MD wineries can now ship their products to other states. That means MORE jobs, not less. Distributors in MD will have to begin expanding their portfolios to keep up with consumer demand for better quality wines. Again, this means MORE JOBS, not less. Get with it you two.