Specialty Wine Retailers Condemn Distributor Bid to Ban Wine Shipping

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Specialty Wine Retailers Association Executive Director Tom Wark issued the
following statement today condemning the cynical power grab by alcohol
wholesalers in the form of the recently introduce H.R. 5034, a bill now in
congress that would lead to severe restrictions on wine retailer shipping,
irreparably damage to America`s thriving wine industry and would impede consumer
access to fine wine.

"Specialty Wine Retailers Association condemns the shameful attempt by the
National Beer Wholesalers Associations, the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers
Association and their supporters to take control of the American wine industry
through cynical legislation that will severely damage the American wine industry
and hurt consumers, while protecting middlemen from competition.

H.R. 5034 completely relieves alcohol wholesalers from playing by the same
constitutional rules that the rest of American industry must play by as it
allows states to once again pass the kind of discriminatory and protectionist
anti-wine shipping laws that the Supreme Court struck down in 2005.

The American wine industry will be devastated by the impact of H.R. 5034 as bans
on winery and retailer shipping are passed that force all wine sales to flow
through middle men who will limit the choices to which American consumers have
become accustomed via the well-regulated and vibrant direct shipping channel
that has sprung up since the 2005 Granholm v. Heald Supreme Court decision.
Passage of H.R 5034 ignores, dismisses and harms the thousands of new artisan
wineries across the country, entrepreneurs inside the specialty wine retailer
sector and American wine consumers-all for the sake of protecting a few billion
dollar middlemen that seek to create a monopoly for themselves.

SWRA urges all members of congress, members of the American wine industry and
especially the American wine consumers to stand up against the middlemen who are
pushing the most devastating consumer wine legislation since Prohibition."

Specialty Wine Retailers Association is a national organization of brick and
mortar wine retailers, Internet wine retailers, wine clubs and auction houses
that advocate for fair and well regulated trade in wine. For more information
see www.specialtywineretailers.org.

Specialty Wine Retailers Association
Tom Wark, 707-266-1449 (Executive Director)
twark@specialtywineretailers.org

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