U.S. states crack down on interstate direct-to-consumer wine shipping →
Alex Koral, Industry Outreach Advisor at ShipCompliant, a technology service for businesses, says many states are cracking down on what they perceive as illegal alcohol shipping. New York, Michigan, and Illinois are at the top of the aggressive stance; Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Arizona, new to allowing alcohol shipping, are following the issue. In response, UPS and other shippers implemented a program requiring shippers to show proof of license before they’ll agree to accept packages with alcohol in them.
Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits prevails in retailer fraud suit on lack of evidence →
James Nguyen, who owned the liquor license for Arena Restaurant and Lounge in California, claims he paid thousands of dollars in taxes for spirits that were wrongfully recorded as purchases from SGWS, and was blocked from “unfettered use” of the liquor license, losing the ability to resell or transfer it due to tax liabilities. Nguyen claims that SGWS allegedly used customers’ liquor licenses to meet quotas or sell to locations without the proper licenses, and claims this caused him and other venues to misreport their tax obligations. SGWS asserted that ultimately Nguyen failed to provide enough evidence to show the distributor violated its contracts or state law. The judge agreed and granted the motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
New Zealand wine exports hit record NZ$1.66 billion →
According to the New Zealand Winegrowers 2017 Annual Report, the country finished 2017 (recorded from June 2016 to June 2017) with its 22nd consecutive year of export growth. Overall, the country’s wine industry has achieved average annual export growth of 17 percent each year over the past two decades. The report also stated that exports to the US have lead the strong growth, passing $500 million for the first time. New Zealand wine has become the third most valuable wine import into the USA, behind only France and Italy.
Texas breweries wait for Houston water to recede, as some become donation centers →
CraftBeer reports that Saint Arnold and Eureka Heights are acting as donation centers, and Great Heights Brewing plans to donate all of its Tuesday profits to relief efforts. 8th Wonder Brewing used its oversized brewery truck to get flood victims to safer areas. Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery has partnered with Ball Corporation and the CAN’d Aid Foundation to donate 88,000 cans of water.
