Maintaining Consumers' Right to Choose
The NVV believes that consumers in all 50 states should have the ability to directly purchase fine wine from those who produce it. Many medium to small wineries have very limited distribution and garner little attention from the large distributors and survive by selling wine through mailing lists, wine clubs and over the Internet.
The Napa Valley Vintners believes that the existing three-tier system should be augmented, not eliminated, and should provide controls and regulations that respect local laws, avoid underage access and provide provisions for wineries to pay the local, state and federal taxes on their wines.
To support this belief, in 1997, the NVV help to found Free the Grapes!, a national grassroots coalition of wine lovers, wineries and retailers who seek to remove restrictions in states that still prohibit consumers from purchasing wines directly. Visit www.freethegrapes.org to learn more about the direct shipping issue and how consumers can help ensure fair direct shipping laws.
