If you’re part of the wine community, it’s likely that you’ve heard about the HR5034 bill that’s being considered. I’m not going to go into detail about the legal ramifications, the bill itself, or how the overall community is reacting to the bill (see also, here, here, and here). What I want to tell you about is my personal reaction and how this would affect me.

I live in Massachusetts. As a resident, I have only once or twice had wine shipped to me. At least one of those times, I was forced to ship the wine to a friend’s residence in Rhode Island because it’s considered illegal to ship any booze into the state. Because of that, I end up not ordering from shops within the state because the shipping often costs more than the gas it would take to get to the store and pick up the product.

I’m used to not getting what I want in this matter. I hate it, but I’m used to it. Recently, there were positive changes in the state and I was offered some hope that one day I’ll be able to order the wine I want from any online source and have it shipped to me in a nice, little package. The introduction of HR5034 has pretty much shattered those hopes. If it passes, I’m positive that Massachusetts will quickly move to close doors entirely so that the wholesalers can stuff their pockets with cash while the consumers and small wineries suffer.

The passage of the bill would remove all hope and the kicker is that one of the dudes behind the bill is from Massachussetts. Mr. Delahunt, I don’t think you’re doing right by working on and supporting this bill. I also don’t think it’s right to pepper in buzz words like underage drinking and alcoholism as reasons for the bill’s importance. That is not what this is about. This is about the wholesalers getting nervous and striking back.

I’m disappointed about this and hope it dies a quick death before people give it too much consideration. I would love to wipe the slate clean from this blemish. However, the big shots behind the bill have loads of cash to support this and that’s likely to push it further than I would like.

Again, I’m accustomed to these limitations, but I don’t want to be. We had the ball rolling in the right direction and I’d like it to keep in going. Now, here’s where you come in. If you think this bill sucks, contact your representative. You can find out who that is here and then either get their phone number or send them an email. I suggest both. You can also show your support by joining the fight over on Facebook but obviously, getting in touch with your representative is more important.