Wine ruling a setback for consumers

In a setback for consumers in New York, the United States 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Feb. 12 upheld the state's ban on direct-to-consumer wine shipments from out-of-state vineyards.

Consumer Alert, which filed an amicus curiae brief in the case, is disappointed by the decision. Consumers in New York currently have to buy their wine through state-licensed wholesalers. It is illegal to directly ship wine from out-of-state wineries to New York consumers.

The ruling is contrary to other recent appeals court decisions in similar cases in Michigan and Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to resolve the conflicting rulings, which pit the 21st amendment against the Constitution's interstate commerce

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