It is also the only way in which we consumers can sip the fruits of their labor. The rationale for prohibiting direct sale of wine comes from the 21st Amendment of the Constitution, which repealed Prohibition. It gave individual states the absolute power to regulate and control alcoholic beverages within their borders. Wholesale arguments Wholesalers argue that the three-tier system works to the advantage of the individual states. They say it's easier for states to enforce laws and examine records and inventories of a few local wholesalers than of a myriad of small wineries scattered around the country.
Wholesalers have good reason to want to keep the interest of the direct-shipment proponents at bay.
By keeping themselves in the distribution chain they get billions of dollars in revenues. The answer is the Internet and the future. The arguments against direct sales are two-fold. First, there is the threat of sales to minors. There is scant evidence, however, that large numbers of teenagers are ordering cases of Adler Fels'95 for direct delivery.