Has anyone yet tried to get a shipment into Massachusetts via FedEx or UPS (or, better yet, succeeded)?
It used to be that at least FedEx was set up for intrastate shipments (i.e., they could make sure that the wine was picked up at source and from the distribution facility on a licensed truck), but could not handle it for interstate shipments (because they would not have MA-licensed vehicles available to pick up, e.g., from a distribution facility in CT for transport into MA). Is it now worth their while to work this out, or are they going to abstain to keep the pressure on for fleet-wide licensing?
I also have good news to report from Schrader Cellars. Here is a reply to a message I sent earlier today:
Thank you for your email! We are very excited to begin shipping directly to you and our other members in MA, and are indeed in the process of applying for our MA direct-to-consumer shipping permit. I have added a note to your recent 2013 Schrader order, and will reach out to you if our permit is approved before the November ship date, so that we may modify your shipping address and send this wine directly to you.
We will keep you updated of our status as we hear news of our permit status.
I also sent a note to Sine Qua Non, so my fingers are crossed for that as well…
Interestingly, I received an email last week from a well-known retailer in CA notifying me that they will be able to ship wines to MA via FedEx beginning February 1. Not sure if that’s a mistake or if they’ve somehow figured out a legal way to do it.
It’s manageable but they are asking for a lot. I suspect the hardest part is going to be for wineries that aren’t already licensed with FedEx – that can be a painful task as well, unless they can use a third party shipper (not sure if that will work). The real test will be when I submit, I figure there is at least a 50-50 chance it is kicked back for some reason or another.
The upside - not nearly as expensive as I thought it was going to be. $300 for permit, then $150/yr after.
I’ve been envious of all the folks who were able to take advantage of Berserkers Day. Hey Todd any chance of having the participants let us know if they ship to Mass?
The local sports talk radio station today interviewed Drew Bledsoe as part of its coverage of the Patriots. At the end of the interview, Drew mentioned that as of today, Doubleback, his Washington State winery – was approved for shipping to Massachusetts. He also stated that they were waiving all shipping charges for deliveries here for the next couple of weeks.
And of course, it sounds like the perfect wine to drink whilst watching our Pats win the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks
More good news received from Amber at Sine Qua Non/Next of Kyn…
We are working on getting licensed in MA but I do not think we will be able to ship the Spring shipment but we should be fully licensed by the Fall shipment.
I’m so happy that some wineries are being proactive about processing the license paperwork to allow shipping to MA.
I’d love to be able to receive shipments from out of State retailers but that’s probably not going to happen any time soon. Distributors are too powerful.
The fact that I can legally receive shipments from wineries is still pretty awesome! I’ve felt like a pariah for years, having to go through acrobatics to get some wines or just not being able to get them.
I love the fact that some wineries have already jumped on this and I hope more and more will over time.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
