Down in the details of the application is the requirement to post a $1000 bond in addition to the $200 permit fee. Does this pretty much make the shipping law useless? What is the norm, if any, for a bond to posted for shipping? I personally don’t care. DC is close by and does not seem to require any permits or collect taxes.
BD
These laws are just barriers to entry rather than actual laws that will allow consumers in MD to have access to a wider array of products. Many states enact crap like this knowing full well that most wineries won’t go through the hassle and/or expense to come into compliance.
This was passed just in time for the alcohol tax increase too!
Bob,
We are posting the bond. A $1000 bond actually requires us to put up $100. So it isn’t such a burden that it will stop us. Not sure how long the process will ultimately take to get approved…but hopefully by the fall shipping season.
Adam Lee
Siduri Wines
Thanks Adam! I wondered if it worked like bond in a criminal case, ie: 10% of the face value. That’s more like it!
By the way, love your 2008 (I think) Viognier. Had it a Eola in DC and went and bought a case at the Wine Source in Baltimore.
Bob
We started the paperwork last week ![[highfive.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/db21b9263a9105e51f6f8b11e61dd4de095611f9.gif "highfive"){kind=small}
Local new radio website claims 8 MD wineries and 3 out of state wineries have already applied.
With Brian and Adam in, I wonder who is the 3rd.
Carlisle was one of the two wine shipping permits under the previous system - I wonder if Mike O. is #3.
As I recall the bond wasn’t such a big deal, but the quarterly tax filing was a bit over the top.
Mike Officer has the current license as well as Wells Guthrie of Copain. Some time ago Mike said the Maryland license was simpler than the one in Virginia as to-be-phased-out Maryland license has no requirements to submit taxes. It just required that the wines pass to a wholesaler then to retailer for you to get it.
The Baltimore sun today listed, I think 11 wineries. Many of them from Maryland.
BD
I was doing the wholesaler/retailer route with Carlisle for years. Mike mentioned that it was the only license he didn’t outsource, because it was so easy. Problem was if you had a wholesaler, you couldn’t get a MD license.
I look forward to my fall mailers to see who is on-board. I look forward to MD getting my tax money instead of DC and VA. I gave up on WV (my step-daughter lives there) when they raised the shipping tax to near punitive levels.
I’ll have to check the Sun on-line just out of curiosity.
William,
Who collects DC taxes when shipping? I’ve only ever seen one place out of many that even tried. Does DC require a shipping license?
Bob
Bob,
Good point - I am mixing retail tax (8.75% IIRC) with tax on shipped wine.
I just checked my files and no one I order from charges DC tax.
I would expect (but do not know for a fact) that one would need a license for DC, but in the absence of tax on shipped wine there may not be a license fee.
Bill
Bill,
My take was that there was no license after looking up the info on the Wine Institute’s web site. But just an assumption on my part.
BD
Bob,
Saw the article and it listed Pride as applying for a permit. Also both Copain and Navarro have indicated they will apply. Navarro plans to notify potential MD customers when they receive the permit.
Cheers,
Curt
June 30th: Active Permits now showing a number of new MD permits, as well as Pride (Carlisle and Copain previously had the previous permit I believe…)
BLACK ANKLE VINEYARDS
BOORDY VINEYARDS INC
CARLISLE WINERY
COPAIN WINE CELLARS
ELK RUN VINEYARDS
FIORE WINERY INC
PRIDE MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS LLC
SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN VYND LLC
TILMONS ISLAND WINERY
edit: based on permit #s that are ‘inactive’ seems like the following have applied and are in the system:
ABEJA LLC
BOOKWALTER WINERY LLC
CHATEAU JULIEN INC
CHATEAU MORRISETTE INC
CLOS PEGASE WINERY INC
CRISTOM VINEYARDS INC
DOLCE LLC
FAR NIENTE WINERY INC.
FROG’S LEAP WINERY
KH WINERY LP
LAYTON’S CHANCE VINEYARD & WIN
NICKEL & NICKEL VINEYARDS LLC
PERNOD RICARD USA LLC
ROBERT CRAIG WINERY
SINSKEY VINEYARDS INC
SKALLI CORPORATION
SPANOS BERBERIAN WINERY LLC
THE WINE GROUP INC
THOMAS FOGARTY WINERY LLC
TREFETHEN VINEYARDS WINERY INC
WESTPORT WINERY LLC
ZD WINES LLC
Black Ankle is going to do big things here in MD. We visited there and were very impressed with the wines. In general and especially relative terms. They blow away any other MD wine I have ever tasted and will hold their own with most from the west coast. The only issue is that they are aggressively priced. I can’t blame them since they seem to sell out many of their wines. They also have lots of room to plant new vineyards on the property. Hopefully this will prod other MD wineries to keep pace.
So for them to be able to ship is a very good thing for their business.
Visited Black Ankle today and also was very impressed with their wines. Asked them about shipping and was told that they had their permits etc and the only thing holding them up was the fact that neither UPS nor FEDEX have pursued getting permits to handle the shipping. The implication was that they were ready to ship but had no shipper. Not sure what the shippers need to do or when/if they will do it.
Cheers,
Curt
That’s interesting. UPS and FedEx already have permits to move wine around MD. Maybe it’s a permit to actually deliver the wine?
That could be it. It seems that every time you lift up the “direct delivery” rock, something jumps out and grabs you.
Cheers,
Curt
Was informed today that UPS has a permit to deliver wine in MD but Fedex, as of now, does not.
Cheers,
Curt
Wineries should be all over this. Can you sell to retail establishments(wine stores, country clubs, restaurnts) direct as well, or only end consumers? Wineries with product to move could do well with the wine starved MD establishments.