Free the Grapes! Urges Wine Lovers to Object to House Bill 187
June 12, 2025 (New York, NY) — Delaware, one of the few states in the nation that continues an archaic ban on direct-to-consumer winery shipments, will now consider a bill that denies consumers real choice in which wines they can receive via direct shipping. Free the Grapes! urges wine lovers to object to HB 187, which will be heard by the House Economic Development/ Banking/Commerce and Insurance Committee at noon on Tuesday, June 17th in Dover.
HB 187 (Smith) is “anti” direct shipping. It is positioned as a bill that will allow wine shipping to Delawareans, but has so many limitations as to be completely unworkable for direct shipping in practice. This bill will prohibit shipment of wine currently on “the list” of wine represented by a Delaware wholesaler, and thus also excludes shipping by small wineries owned by larger parent wine companies. These limits are a poison pill in the bill that are supported by wholesalers who are against direct shipping. Legislators in all but four states with wine shipping laws have considered, and soundly rejected, similar limitations.
“Delaware consumers continue to face needless restrictions on how they purchase and enjoy wine,” said Thea Schlendorf, executive director of Free the Grapes!, a national grassroots coalition of wine lovers and wineries who seek to remove bans and streamline restrictions. “HB 187 does not provide a viable framework for allowing regulated DTC shipments into the state and supporting greater freedom of choice for consumers.” Free the Grapes! is calling on wine lovers to object to HB 187 and, where appropriate, write to your Delaware legislator to let them know this bill should not be passed.
Which wines are available in Delaware changes daily, and consumers don’t have access to “the list”. How can Delaware wine lovers know if their favorite wine is sold in state, where it might be in stock, or whether it is allowed to be shipped to their door? And what if the parent winery sells in Delaware but the smaller winery owned by that group does not? These are just some of the complications in HB 187 that will confuse and frustrate consumers and wineries alike. Wine lovers in other states do not have to navigate this labyrinth of availability; they can place an order with their favorite winery just as they do with so many other products.
Action: Take two minutes to visit Free the Grapes’ website, and send a personalized message to your state legislators who will consider the bill.
About Free the Grapes!
Founded in 1998, Free the Grapes! is a national movement of consumers and wineries seeking to expand consumer choice in wine with legal, regulated DTC shipments. https://freethegrapes.org
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