Trade Groups Duke It Out

WSWA sent out a press release “applauding” efforts by Wine.com CEO Richard Bergsund “to call attention to the problem of unregulated, illegal interstate shipments of alcohol to consumers.”

According to the trade group, Bergsund has been notifying officials of instances where he claims online retailers have openly cut corners and defied state regulations for alcohol delivery, as compared to Wine.com and other retailers that operate within the law.

“We’ve been saying for some time now that the enforcement of interstate shipping regulations is alarmingly lax. The fact that a reputable retailer is now saying the same thing is telling—as is the fact that he’s now under attack from other retailers for saying it,” said WSWA ceo Craig Wolf.

As a result, Bergsund is getting criticism from some of his peers. The WSWA seems to be pointing fingers at the Specialty Wine Retailers Association, who “should be more concerned that its members may be violating the law, than that a legitimate retailer is reporting those violations to the appropriate authorities.”