Hoosier Wineries One Step Closer To Direct Sales

A Senate committee Wednesday unanimously approved legislation allowing wineries to sell directly to consumers over the phone or Internet, without a face-to-face interaction. 

Current law says retailers can only ship wine directly to individual customers if there’s been a face-to-face transaction first, at which point their age is verified. Crawfordsville Republican Sen. Phil Boots’ legislation would eliminate the face-to-face requirement, allowing customers to send ID via email, fax, or through online age verification programs. 

Indiana Winery and Vineyard Association counsel Lisa Hays says out-of-state wine retailers have long ignored Indiana’s policy, putting local retailers at a disadvantage.  She says the bill puts Hoosier wine sellers back on a level playing field.

“And this would be a huge benefit, not only to your communities, but to add more jobs, to add more tourism,” Hays said.

Opponents say the measure weakens safeguards that prevent underage drinking and will actually help out-of-state retailers more than those in Indiana.