Pennsylvania Wine Shipment Legislation Gains Momentum

On March 28, the Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously passed 48-0, Senate Bill 790 which would allow consumers to have domestic wines from U.S. wineries shipped directly to their homes in the state. Under the legislation, consumers would be allowed to purchase by phone, mail or internet as many as 24 domestic wines per month. However, for those residents interested in purchasing imported wines, Pennsylvania residents would still be required to continue to obtain imported wine purchases from the 620 state owned/controlled liquor stores.

Under the bill, consumers would be required to verify their age and sign for shipments. Wineries would be required to collect taxes prior to shipping and to pay a $100 state registration fee annually along with reporting requirements to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Pennsylvania is one of 14 states that restricts the shipping of wine to its residents. The State’s ban on direct shipment of wine has been a long standing concern integral to the wider debate on the future of the Pennsylvania’s state-controlled liquor store system. While proponents of the bill believe the legislation offers Pennsylvania residents a bit more liquor freedom while bolstering state revenue, Senator Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. D-Philadelphia, a co-sponsor of the bill voiced his disappointment arguing that late surfacing amendments to the bill shuts out “90 percent of the world’s wine” from French, German, Australian and other imports thus “giving the people of Pennsylvania less that what they should be getting”.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is the largest purchased of wine and spirits in the United States with sales topping $1.9 billion.

Calling All Pennsylvania Winemaker’s With No Dirt

Do you happen to be a Pennsylvania Winemaker with no vineyard? No UrbanWineryProblem. Perhaps your real calling is that you’re a city dwelling vintner. Besides, the grapes only care about where they are grown and not where they are crushed. With that in mind, have you considered that maybe there is an Urban Winery in your future? If so, your time is now. Advances in both technology and transport are on your side. Today, there is a growing recognition that you really don’t have to have the dirt to start your own Urban Winery. Instead, your grapes can be grown in a remote location with you transporting them to your urban facility for crushing, fermenting, and aging.

Typically when we think of wineries, most of us think of expansive vineyards overlooking large gardens with a view. The Urban Winery is a growing yet different phenomenon. As the winemaker you can locate your winemaking production facility in an urban setting within a city rather than the traditional rural setting typically in close proximity to the nearby vineyard.

The upside of course is that you can attract all of today’s millennial’s who enjoy that frequented city dwelling lifestyle. This concept has all kinds of possibilities. Conceptually you’d be bringing the consumer intimately closer to the winemaking experience in a much more meaningful way, far beyond the wine bar experience. Your Urban Winery can be “the” gathering spot for the neighborhood locals who drop in to sip and take a few bottles of Pennsylvania wine home.

Urban wineries are rapidly cropping up across America. You could now find them in New York, California, Ohio, Maryland and Washington State to name a few.

So, if you’re ready to grab hold of those urban dwellers and are ready to provide them with an authentic winery experience– perhaps there is a Urban Winery in your future. Go for it Pennsylvania Winemakers!

How To Ensure Your Wine and Hospitality Business Success In 2012

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If you’re preparing to open your own winery or hospitality business you have no doubt heard the warnings “its a jungle out there” or that “most businesses fail within the first five years”.

Whether your winery, restaurant, or hospitality business success or fails, the one sure truth is that you’ll be guaranteed to have some challenging times. Building a successful wine or hospitality business can be a true roller coaster ride. New entrepreneurs often underestimate the difficulty and pain that comes with starting a new business. The responsibilities are great. The time pressures are demanding. The financial investment often comes with significant personal costs.

The good news is that if you have fire in your belly, building your own business into a success will give you a personal sense of satisfaction and joy. It feels good. Thus if you’re starting a new winery, restaurant, or hospitality business in 2012, it is essential that you do it right. Here are just a few good tips:

You should consider preparing an effective business plan.
Know your market.
Watch you cash flow.
Deliver a good product or service.
Implement the right legal protections.
Listen to your customers.
Participate in your industry’s trade organizations.
Hire a good attorney who understands your business.

Arming yourself early on at the inception of building your new winery or hospitality business will go a long way to helping your business grow and become a success. And, by all means, “get in where you fit in”

An End To Swipe And Blow For Pennsylvania Wine Consumers

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has ended its ill-fated wine vending program after a year’s experiment with statewide grocery stores. The wine kiosks located at 21 stores throughout the state required customers to swipe their ID, blow into a breathalyzer and look into a security camera to buy their wine. The program [...]

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The Pinnacle Of Professional Achievement In The Wine World Takes In New Members

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IWM) has announced its newest members. As covered in my earlier post, Does The Pinnacle of Professional Achievement In The Wine World Excite You?, this accomplishment is considered the “hardest test of knowledge” in the wine world. Congratulations to all of this year’s newest members. For [...]

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Is Your Pennsylvania Wine Ready To Take Flight?

Does your Pennsylvania wine have a distinct taste and flavor that will come through if sipped at 30,000 feet? Is so, the airline industry may be the place for your wine to take flight. It appears that U.S. airlines have taken note that passengers keep coming back to their airline based on the [...]

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Pennsylvania Wine Bloggers:Want To Know Who’s Got The Juice?

The public voting is complete for the 2011 Wine Blog Awards! Over 3011 people voted for their favorite finalists. The social media wine blog winners were announced at the 2011 North American Wine Bloggers Conference. The public has spoken. These folks have got the juice!
Best Overall Wine Blog–Fermentation
Best New [...]

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Here’s What Every Pennsylvania Liquor And Limited Winery Licensee Should Know

Pennsylvania’s Governor Corbett recently signed into law Act 11 (HB 148) which has made numerous changes to various sections of the Liquor Code. The Act made changes include adding a definition of “happy hour” and permitting retail liquor licensees to hold happy hour pricing up to four (4) hours per day and [...]

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Does The Pinnacle Of Professional Achievement In The Wine World Excite You?

Does The Pinnacle Of Professional Achievement In The Wine World Excite You? Do you have a serious interest in wine? If so, perhaps you are Pennsylvania’s future Master of Wine! A Master of Wine is someone who has demonstrated through rigorous examination, a knowledge or all aspects of wine and ability to [...]

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Shout Out To Pennsylvania Winery and Hospitality Bloggers: Whose Got The Juice?

It’s that time again folks! The nomination period is open for the 2011 Wine Blog Awards. We can look forward again to seeing which social media wine bloggers are giving American media a run for its juice. Will your winery’s blog be chosen to be amongst this year’s nominees?
Go now and make your [...]

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