Support Pennsylvania Wineries

I just received this email today from a local winery in
Kane, PA. They are asking for our help (see below).
I have already sent an email to my local state
representative and thought you might be interested
in helping out too. Please forward this message to as
many friends of yours who you know in the area or state
of Pennsylvania who might be interested in helping our
local, family owned wineries in this great state continue
to do business.

Take a moment to write to your legislator, click here for portal
into State of PA government affairs. We live in a wonderful state.
Let's keep this industry happy, healthy and thriving in the state
of Pennsylvania.

Thank you for your time.
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Greetings from all of us at FWC,


There are forces out there in the market place that want to see the Pennsylvania wine industry die! This is not an exaggeration. Your may have heard that the Pennsylvania Wine Industry is under attack from forces that would like to put us out of business, or severely curtail our ability to conduct business. Already, the PLCB has issued an order that prohibits us from shipping directly to our customers who live in PA after Nov. 1, 2005. The shipping issue goes back to the Supreme Court Ruling of May 2005 that says, if a state allows shipments of wine within their state, it is unconstitutional for them to prohibit shipments into the state from other states. Well PA does not allow shipments of wine from outside the state. So the legislators have to decide which way they are going to go, they either have to open up the shipping to all states, or not allow any shipping of wine, even within the state. They have not made a ruling yet, so until they do, we apparently are breaking the law by shipping wine to our customers. Therefore, we have to stop until the ruling is made. The problem, however, is that the PLCB is very worried about their wine sales if they open up the shipping. We are afraid that their goal is eventually to stop all retail sales of our wine, forcing us to have to sell through wholesalers, which would put almost all of us out of business. We believe in free trade and have confidence in our product that open shipping will not affect our sales. But the PLCB is worried that they will lose out if a PA resident can go on line and order their wine to be delivered to their home, rather than go to the PA Liquor store and purchase it. Wholesalers are the ones with the money and the influence in the state. There is a press conference scheduled for all Pennsylvania Wine Association members on October 18, 2005 in the capitol building in Harrisburg. We are trying to bombard the legislators with letters of support prior to this press conference.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you would be so kind as to contact your elected PA representatives. Let them know that you value and support Pennsylvania Small Farm Wineries and that you want them to pass legislation that allows wineries to ship wine directly to their customers. Here is a sample letter:



Dear Representative/Senator________________,



As your constituent, I strongly support the Pennsylvania Small Farm Winery Industry. And I urge you to do the same!



Pennsylvania wineries offer the best of Pennsylvania agriculture and tourism, they are employers, and they pay significant sums of money in the form of taxes.



I greatly enjoy visiting my local Pennsylvania winery, Flickerwood Wine Cellars, (or insert other winery names here) because of the variety of award winning Pennsylvania wines they offer, the friendly staff, and the total ambiance of the winery experience.



Please support legislation that promotes Pennsylvania wineries and the services they offer.



Sincerely,



(Your Name)



Please log on to http://www.state.pa.us for information on your local legislators.



Once again, thank you for your time and support of us and PA wineries.

Ron & Sue

Rick & Sharon

Dana, Tina, and the rest of the Zampogna Gang