Wine no longer under the gun. . has been dismantled

Wines & Vines, Jan, 2003

As part of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, wine will no longer be regulated by the bureaucrats who deal with firearms. In fact, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) has been dismantled. The guys who look after the guns are being moved to the Justice Department, while the alcohol regulators stay in the Treasury Department, a move welcomed by the wine industry.

Bob Koch, senior vice president of Wine Institute, said the trade organization had always wanted to separate the wine industry from guns, bombs and arson.

About 5,100 former BATF employees are being transferred to the Justice Department, with some 500 remaining at the Treasury Department to deal with the wine and spirits industry.

Jackie Lee, owner of Compliance International in Sonoma, said the change was welcome. "It's a step in the right direction," Lee said. Lee pointed out that one important step involving the wine industry had been taken prior to the breakup of BATF. She said that regulatory matters will now be handled via the Internet.

"Regulation will now be a paperless transaction. This is going to speed up the process and greatly aid the industry," she said.