The U.S. wine landscape has shifted: On Feb. 26, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves approved a bill permitting wineries to ship wines directly to consumers in the Magnolia State. The law takes effect July 1, 2025. Arkansas, Delaware, Rhode Island and Utah are now the only states not to permit direct-to-consumer (DTC) winery shipping or to limit it to just in-person, on-site purchases. But some direct-shipping advocates worry the bill has too many limitations to truly open Mississippi’s wine market.
On Feb. 18, the Mississippi Legislature voted to pass State Sen. Walter Michel’s Senate Bill 2145, moving it to Reeves’ desk to be signed as law. “This is a big win for Mississippians that are wine lovers, travelers and anyone that enjoys the opportunity to try new things,” State Sen. Jeremy England, one of the bill’s sponsors, told Wine Spectator via email. “It is one more notch in the positive for our image and for our efforts to attract new people and businesses to this Mississippi. That is worth a toast here in the Hospitality State.”
A complementary bill, HB 1175, passed in the state House of Representatives earlier in February, sending the legislation to the Senate Finance Committee, where it passed by a slim margin. Like similar legislation in the past, it faced challenges, and it failed in the Senate on Feb. 13 before receiving the necessary three-fifths vote.
“The House has provided the leadership and the courage whenever it comes to freedom of choice concerning alcohol,” State Rep. Hank Zuber, the House State Affairs chairman, told the Mississippi House on Feb. 18. “[We] have passed direct ship each and every year, overwhelmingly, for the last five, six, seven years.” Zuber emphasized that the bill would not create competition with Mississippi’s alcohol retailers, noting that it only permits the direct shipment of wines not already carried by licensed wholesalers in the state. The bill makes an exception for “highly allocated” wines.
Zuber also observed that without the bill, Mississippi’s government would continue losing a potential source of income, noting that even members of Capitol staff had been having wine shipped to another state before taking it home. “[Direct wine shipping] is happening now, and we’re not collecting the tax revenue.”
What This Means for Wineries
The new law allows licensed in-state or out-of-state producers to sell and directly ship wine to Mississippi residents and fulfillment companies (firms that handle shipping logistics for wineries) through approved common carriers such as UPS or FedEx. The winery must hold a direct wine shipper’s permit from the state’s Department of Revenue; they must also keep at least three years of records, report shipping details to the state on a quarterly basis and label all shipments with “Contains Alcohol: Signature of Person Age 21 Years or Older Required for Delivery.” The wine must have an “alcohol by weight” of at least 5 percent; and shippers cannot send wine to addresses within dry communities.
In addition to a 15.5 percent tax collected on each shipment, the Mississippi Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control (MS ABC) will collect a 3 percent markup. It will give this revenue to the Department of Mental Health’s Mental Health Programs Fund.
[article-img-container][src=2025-03/winery-direct-consumer-shipping-map.jpg] [credit= (Henry Eng)] [alt= A map showing which states permit, do not permit or limit direct wine shipping from wineries][end: article-img-container]“It is a great day for economic freedom,” said attorney Sean O’Leary, who has represented plaintiffs in a number of DTC cases. “Wineries gain access to a market of over 2 million adults, allowing them to grow their business. Growing businesses and providing greater consumer choice [is] a true victory.”
As in many states, the new law…
Source : https://www.winespectator.com/articles/news-mississippi-legalizes-direct-winery-wine-shipping