Wine Shipping Bill Signed Into Law

Wine enthusiasts have a new reason to toast: a newly signed law permits small wineries to ship directly to customers starting in May.

Wineries that produce 250,000 gallons per year or less can also purchase a permit to distribute their wine to retailers.

“This law balances the modern needs of our wine industry with the need of liquor stores and distributors and positions both for even more economic, job-creating success,” John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem) said in a news release. 

Burzichelli sponsored the legislation along with John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and Celeste Riley (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland).

, A-4436, with a 51-18-4 vote and Mark Carduner, an owner of Silver Decoy Winery in East Windsor, said the bill was important for the state. 

“We’re excited to be able to move through this whole chapter of the New Jersey winery industry. When we started in 2001 there was only 11 wineries in the state but we’re pushing 50 now and we need to keep the growth going,” Carduner said last week. 

Customers can have up to 12 cases of wine per year shipped to them for personal consumption from a winery that produces 250,000 gallons of wine or less annually, according to the legislation.

“This law is good news for consumers and businesses alike,” Wisniewski said in a news release. “It’s a carefully crafted plan that ensures our wine industry can become a key economic engine for our state while protecting the local liquor stores and the many jobs they provide our state. It’s a long overdue plan to modernize our laws to meet the reality of how consumers now shop.”