The future of New Jersey wineries will be placed in the hands of lawmakers today in a Senate vote.  Due to the recent Supreme Court case Granholm v. Heald that ruled “states, which have broad powers to regulate the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages, must treat out-of-state producers and in-state producers equally under the law”.  This may seem like a non-issue but Jersey-specific laws currently allow in-statewineries to sell wine directly to consumers while out-of-state wineries must abide by the three-tier system that includes a sale to the distributor and then to the consumer.  Obviously, something’s going to have to give.

One possibility is the end of sales from producer to consumer, which would severely cripple New Jersey wineries.  A more appealing option for wine drinkers and wineries around the country would be to allow direct shipping for all wineries whether they be in or out of state.  Wineries and wine drinkers across the state will wait with bated breath today as the vote takes place.