WIN: New Website Targets Harms Caused by Three-Tier System of Alcohol Regulation
The three-tier system of alcohol distribution is nearly 90 years old. Yet, despite massive cultural, economic, social, and technological changes that have occurred since the 1930s, the system still governs how alcohol is distributed in most states. A new website, “Fermenting Change”, has launched outlining the various ways this archaic system harms the alcohol industry and prevents consumers from accessing the products they want. The new website also offers an alternative to the three-tier system necessary to bring alcohol regulation into the 21st century.
Vinepair: Alcohol Distributor RNDC Alleges Sazerac ‘Schemed’ to ‘Circumvent the Three-tier System’ and Claims Millions Owed
The 51-page document, shared with VinePair by RNDC’s PR firm, alleges that Sazerac’s initial lawsuit lacked proper context and contained incorrect information about RNDC. The distributor claims that Sazerac attempted to work outside of the three-tier system of alcohol distribution and took an overreaching role — in conflict with U.S. distributor regulations — in selling the product.
Forbes: For the Wine Sector, Silicon Valley Bank Collapse is About More Than Money
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank this week has stunned the financial world and the tech industry, a sector in which the bank was heavily invested. But there’s been little mention in consumer news about the bank’s other area of interest: the wine industry.
Vinoshipper stands behind our report: Look at the numbers and consider the rhetoric
The recent Vinoshipper study on age-verification for online, Direct-to-Consumer sales (DTC) of wine has rocked the Three-Tier establishment, particularly the wholesalers who gave us their special “redliner” treatment, attacking credible media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and Wine Searcher for covering relevant and significant data and factual common-sense analysis. Like many others in this space who have advocated for the safe expansion of DTC, we are helping to chip away the years of influence that powerful special interests have long protected.
Fermentation: A Good Death Has Come To Pass
There is no other way to characterize this bill than a piece of authoritarian overreach created and deployed on behalf of anti-shipping forces in the wholesale and regulatory community who want to see direct-to-consumer shipments of wine curtailed.
Irish Liquor Lawyer responds to WSWA’s response to VinoShipper, Blake Gray, Lettie Teague and all things DTC shipping
VinoShipper conducted a study (Blake Gray covered this study and is a co-culprit with VinoShipper in the eyes of WSWA) over a 3-year period in which there were nearly 634,000 attempted buys on its website and it discovered that only 943 attempted buys were made by minors. Which means only 0.15% of all attempted buys were performed by minors. With a miniscule number representing 0.15% of all attempted buys, it would lead a logical person to conclude that minors are not utilizing the online marketplace to access alcohol.
SF Chronicle: Silicon Valley Bank collapse is causing a financial crisis for California’s wine industry
Silicon Valley Bank was closed Friday by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation after a bank run by its venture capital customers. For nearly 30 years, the bank has been the go-to financial institution for the California wine industry. But now, an estimated thousands of wineries are locked out of their Silicon Valley Bank accounts — and they don’t know if, or when, they’ll get access to their money.
CWA Opposes Illinois Legislation Harmful to Small Wineries
The Craft Wine Association opposes Illinois House Bill 2399, a proposal that calls for the registration of third-party providers that ship wine to residents of Illinois on behalf of winery shippers. The legislation would create additional costs and complexities to an already complex system and be harmful to the wine industry.
Wine Searcher: Wholesalers’ Online Wine Claims Don’t Stand Up
In their ongoing battle to make sure they get a 30 percent cut of every bottle of wine, wholesalers like to publicize stings staged to demonstrate that underage people can order wine online. But an extensive study by one of the most widely used platforms to ship wine shows that real underage kids almost never actually try to order wine – and when they do, they're usually stopped right away.
Irish Liquor Lawyer: Direct shipping Debate: Divergent Data but somebody is right
So, the debate on whether increased DTC shipping will lead to increased alcohol access to minors, comes down to whether in real life minors are accessing the marketplace. Clearly the answer is no!
Study Dispels Myth of Minor Access to Alcohol Through Direct Sales
Vinoshipper, an online wine compliance and e-commerce platform, has released a first-of-its-kind study to show that by using technology for age-verification it is 100 percent effective at stopping illegal purchases of alcoholic beverages by minors. The study shows that direct-to-consumer sales are the safest way for alcohol to be sold and pre-purchase age verification software is a cost-effective and reliable way to block and measure minors' attempts to purchase alcohol online. It also clearly demonstrates that minors are not attempting to use online direct-to-consumer avenues in any significant number to secure alcohol.
VinoShipper report finds that minors are not utilizing the internet to access alcohol
A recent study by VinoShipper found that minors are not utilizing the internet to access alcohol. VinoShipper analyzed attempted purchases on its website and discovered over a three-year period (2020-2022) that of the 633,985 attempted purchases, only 943 attempted purchases were made by minors. In percentage terms, only 0.15% of all attempted purchases were by minors.