MINNESOTA CONSUMERS CAN NOW PURCHASE WINE ONLINE

Minnesota consumers will now have the ability to purchase wine online with a new law that allows wineries to advertise directly and take orders over the Internet. Winery owners were upset over a law “intended to restrict wine sales primarily to liquor stores,” according to a local news source. Furthermore, liquor stores were allowed to have websites while wineries were not. "For us as a winery, the real kicker was, liquor stores could have a Web site, could do e-commerce and could ship wine," said Charlie Quast, co-owner of Fieldstone Vineyards near Redwood Falls. While liquor stores are the most hurt by the decision, beer and liquor sales have not yet been affected. However, some liquor retailers have expressed concern over delivery drivers being insufficient in checking the recipient’s age. "I'm not confident that the person making the delivery is as concerned about whether the person is under age,” said Paul Kaspszak, executive director of the Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association.