New York residents, please contact your local representatives and support DTC

[Erik Owens]

Click here: https://www.shipmyspirits.org/take-action/NY

This message is from ADI member Kim Wagner, owner of Stoutridge Winery & Distillery

Hello Friends,
 
I've connected with some of you in the last few weeks, but many of you haven’t heard from me in years (maybe decades). So why now? What’s up?
 
I’ll cut to the chase. You will remember that Steve and I bought a farm in 2000, planted a vineyard, opened a winery in 2006, and then launched a craft distillery in 2017. Stoutridge Distillery and Winery makes award-winning spirits and wine, and we welcome guests to our tasting room every week. The challenge is that NY State liquor laws are very restrictive. Unlike wineries that can take internet orders and ship products to you at home, distilleries can only sell directly to consumers in our tasting room.
 
The NY craft distillers have been working for more than 10 years to get the same shipping privileges wineries got in 2005. For the first time, we are making progress with the NY Legislature and now we need consumers (aka voters) to make their voices heard. The 2024 NY Legislative session ends the first week in June, so IT’S GO TIME!
 
If you vote in NY, please click this link (or the button) and tell your NY Assemblymember and Senator that distilleries need shipping parity with wineries. It’s super easy based on your zip code so you don’t even have to know the name of your representatives. If you don’t vote in NY but know someone who does, please forward this message to them.
 
In the late 1990’s FreeTheGrapes.org organized consumers to advocate for Direct to Consumer (DTC) shipping for wineries and now there are 47 states where consumers can order direct from the manufacturer and have it delivered to their home. Now ShipMySpirits.org is doing the same for craft distillers.
 
Thank you in advance for helping small distillers (and our small family business) get parity with wineries in New York. DTC shipping has allowed the small wineries to survive (in fact more than 80% of the wineries in the US are dependent on DTC shipping). We are hoping that DTC shipping will do the same for small distilleries.
 
Warmly,
-Kim