the following came from my fave winery...who the HELL is behind this bill!!!! Now may have to join tea party as this just hits too close to home! (no...couldn't ever...but am PO'D!)
Your right to receive wine directly from the winery is being seriously threatened! A bill is presently before Congress which proposes to take away the fair trade shipping rights the wine industry worked so hard to pass. Though we still can't ship to all 50 states, should this bill pass, we would not be able to ship to anyone outside of California. The proposed legislation would affect any wine ordered from a winery, irrespective of where it is being shipped. It would not matter if the order was placed through our tasting room, online, over the phone, or via the wine club. All wines produced outside your resident state would have to go through the "three-tier system" which involves wholesale wine distributors as the middlemen, and they typically do not carry small boutique wines.
This is a big deal, and we need your help to raise awareness in your community and to
write to your Congressional representatives.
Wondering what to do?
1. Write to your Congressmen. It is important that Members of Congress from all across the country hear from consumers as to why H.R. 5034 is bad for them. We encourage you to visit www.freethegrapes.org - HOT TOPICS - Defeat HR5034 - where you may personalize a letter to your congressional representatives. Free the Grapes is a consumer activist group which was originally started by the Napa Valley Vintners to advocate on behalf of consumers and reduced shipping regulations for wine.
2. Please forward our email to everyone you know and ask them to write to their Congressmen.
3. Post your comments on Facebook. You may add your comments to the hundreds already posted on the STOP HR 5034 Facebook site. (
http://www.facebook.com/pages/STOPHR5034/114589208561336)
Please don’t wait, take action now and protect your right to
drink the wines you choose!