Webvan , an online grocery store, outlines its adherence to the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Act in its company policy, noting that nobody under 21 can buy liquor in the state. Currently, consumers who live in the 20 states that permit some direct alcohol shipments can ship wine home from a tasting room or buy it through the Internet or direct mail.
Most states require alcoholic beverages to be sold only through state-licensed wholesalers.
The original intent of that law, enacted in the wake of Prohibition, was to prevent the Mafia from controlling liquor distribution. The effect, many economists say, was to create state-sanctioned monopolies that shut out small wineries. Some wineries noted that powerful liquor wholesalers lobbied intensively for the bill, which effectively protects their state-sanctioned monopolies. Wholesalers argued that if companies like Virtual Vineyards, one online vintner, want to import wine they must do so by the rules. That means hooking up with a licensed wholesaler in a particular state and paying the necessary fees and taxes.