The top bidders at this weekend's famed Napa Valley Wine Auction better be careful how they transport their bottles home. Many consumers have learned of these antiquated laws from the Internet.
Wine is among the more popular online purchases.
Investment in more than one tier is verboten. While wine consumption has grown steadily since the 1970s, the number of wholesalers has fallen. Since wholesalers only handle quantities worth their while, the much more numerous but smaller wineries are left struggling to find distributors. Your average wine retailer carries only a tiny fraction of what's available. When the 21st Amendment was ratified in 1933, ending Prohibition and giving states the power to regulate the importation of alcohol, the aim wasn't to abrogate the Constitution's commerce clause, which expressly encourages interstate competition.