US: Pa. lawmakers fail to act on wine delivery
US: Pa. lawmakers fail to act on wine delivery
Oct 28, 2012 6
(Philly) - Another year, another disappointment for Pennsylvania's wine connoisseurs.
The General Assembly's 2011-12 session is scheduled to come to a close without action on legislation that would allow wine lovers to get direct shipments to their homes from vineyards in California and other states.
Two measures were introduced this session that also would have benefited Pennsylvania's 140 family owned wineries by allowing reciprocity agreements so they could ship their products directly to customers in other states.
"It's mind-boggling" that after two years, legislators still haven't enacted a direct-shipment bill, said State Sen. Jane Earll, who introduced one of the measures.
"Wine consumers should be able to shop conveniently," she said.
Rep. Curt Sonney, like Earll an Erie County Republican, pushed a similar bill in the House, saying it would benefit both Pennsylvania wine buyers and wineries. Many vineyards are in northwestern Pennsylvania and want to sell products to out-of-state customers, he said.
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