Free The Grapes!

Enough is enough, it is time to free the grapes. As I mentioned in The Long Tail, Making Your Life Awesome Since 2004 we are shifting away from an economy of high sales of a few items to low sales of LOTS of items. Everywhere you look choices are becoming more numerous and products increasingly customized. However, if you happen to be a wine lover in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky,Tennessee,Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah, Montana or South Dakota I'm afraid you are out of luck. There, state law prohibits direct shipping of alcohol, meaning if you are a wine drinker in one of these states you must do something unthinkable to most Americans, get it yourself! Still, the real issue here isn't so much that you have to haul yourself down to Bottle Buy but the severe limitations that puts on your freedom of selection. Going to a store means having to pick from only the wines they offer as opposed to EVERY WINE AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.

The nature of enjoying wine makes these laws particularly disenfranchising. When it comes to drinking wine each individual has a myriad of their own specific likes and dislikes. The extensive information and selection offered online lets you find wines that you personally will enjoy instead of rolling the dice with the suggestion of the shaggy 19 year old behind the counter of your local liquor store.
Internet wine companies also help support small businesses that lack the necessary brand recognition or access to distribution channels to get their quality wines to the people who would enjoy them. My Wines Direct for example screens thousands of wines from small vineyards all over the world to come up with savory gems for your enjoyment.
Free The Grapes! is a national, grassroots coalition of consumers, wineries and retailers who seek to remove restrictions on wine direct shipping. Maryland and New Jersey are two particular battlegrounds that are on the fence.
While politicians and economists scramble to find remedies to this recession, they fail to realize there are economic impediments right under their noses that benefit no one. If you would like to help overturn such laws check out the Free the Grapes! website. Until then, Pennsylvania wine lovers, maybe you can talk your New York neighbors into trading for some fireworks.