CHANGES TO COME AS WASHINGTON MORPHS INTO A PERMIT STATE

On July 1, two new wine shipment laws will be put into effect in Washington allowing both in-state and out-of-state wineries to ship directly to consumers. Washington retailers will also have the ability to receive beer and wine from out-of-state and in-state breweries and wineries. However, the laws sunset in two years.

The new laws turn Washington into a permit state, meaning that any licensed winery can obtain a wine shipper permit to ship to Washington consumers. The fee for a wine shipper permit is $100 unless the winery is already licensed with Washington as a Certificate of Approval for wine (COA). And there is no limit to how much wine may be shipped to a Washington consumer. Wine shipper permit holder and COA holders must report monthly on shipments made even if there are no sales, and shipping containers must contain language maintaining that the package cannot be delivered to anyone under 21.

COA holders and licensed out-of-state wineries and breweries may also ship to Washington retailers for $100 a pop. The COA must report monthly and pay the Washington Liquor Control Board taxes on all shipments, and must price post with Washington as a distributor, using their own employees. Washington retailers must hold an endorsement from the Liquor Control Board for each licensed retail location to receive direct shipments without a fee. COA holders and Washington wineries and breweries must post prices as a distributor by June 15 to be able to ship to Washington retailers by July 1. There is no price-posting requirement for sales directly to consumers, and as of press time, no brewers have elected to ship direct to retailers.