Free the Grapes in South Dakota!

The subject is coming around again! Legislators in South Dakota are discussing compromises to allow South Dakotans the freedom to choose what wine (and possible other alcoholic drinks) they want to have available to them.

I have nothing against wine and liquor stores working with wholesalers on what to stock on their shelves. I encourage it! The wholesalers give these stores, and consumers, the best bang for their buck. They will open the doors to new and exciting choices, from established wineries and will continue to stock the old favorites, so you know you can pick up your favorite bottle. But what about the consumer in a small town with limited access?

I live in Brookings. A medium sized town. We have a few options for purchasing bottles of wine: Wal-Mart and Hy-Vee each have a small section for wines; the city of Brookings owns the liquor store with the best selection; and the Pheasant Restaurant, which offers some amazing selections when I'm looking for a true splurge (Chateau Montelena, anyone? Great wine, but at $50 a bottle, I'm probably not picking up too many). These 4 options definitely keep my wine fridge filled, and now that I'm participating in the Little Cellars Wine Company Wine of the Month Club, I shouldn't want for a bottle of wine to enjoy any night of the week.

But (of course there is a but), since leaving Virginia, I haven't had a single Virginian wine. Simply because it isn't cost effective for retail stores to work with the smaller wineries to keep bottles on the shelves. They need wine that is going to move! And I understand. I get it, really. But why should this prevent me from ordering my choices directly from the winery? I'm willing to pay a little extra to Chateau Morrisette in order to enjoy a bottle (or 2) of Our Dog Blue a couple of times a year. This is a win-win-win: I get the wine I want, the winery has a couple more sales each year and SD brings in some revenue.

The current compromise would require wineries to register with the state and pay some of the taxes that wholesalers currently pay. More details are in the Argus Leader story.

I'm hopeful the state will be able to come up with a compromise. This seems to be a good compromise from this consumers point of view. Of course, I guess I could attempt to get a job as a wholesaler and get my choices into the stores that way (anyone know how I go about applying?)