Currently there are several states allowing wineries to ship product directly to the consumer. It is typically required for the winery to apply for a state shipping license and pay a license fee in advance of any wine shipping. The winery must be a TTB approved licensed winery.
Most states allow direct shipping or delivery, however, some states have special procedures and requirements, and a few states strictly prohibit any shipping!
Licensing requirements typically include specific forms, documents, registrations, annual compliance, sales and liquor license reports, and renewal fees to maintain your shipping permit.
Each state is different with respect to rules and regulations on shipping wine direct to consumer. One universal rule for your winery’s compliance organization is to always keep detailed records for all direct shipments, sales data and production data in order to comply with reporting requirements.
WHOLESALE LICENSING Being a wholesaler in California does not make it simple to sell and ship wine into other states, whether you are shipping wine direct to consumer (very difficult and limited) or shipping wine to wholesalers in other states (also very difficult. Most of the wine shipping privileges go to the producer of the wine, the manufacturer, the licensed winery. If you are a licensed winery in California, it is much easier to get licensed in other states as a wholesaler if you want to go that route. Several states require that you have some kind of registration in place before selling to wholesalers in that state. And just as with direct-to-consumer licensing, out of state wholesale licensing has sales and liquor license reporting as well. Advance research, good sales contacts in those states and a way to promote your wines to consumers is essential!
West Coast Wine Compliance 