Signing of HB 187 Is A Misleading Step Towards Direct Shipping
August 18, 2025 (New York, NY) — Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed a deeply disappointing bill into law this past Friday, August 15. By signing HB 187, the Governor puts wine-loving Delawareans into a state of confusion and frustration, as the promised direct shipping will not play out as anticipated. Free the Grapes! urges wine lovers to continue to object to this misleading “progress”, by writing to your legislator at our website. The law will take effect in 365 days, so there is time to voice opposition to the current structure.
Delaware was one of the few states in the nation that had continued an archaic ban on direct-to-consumer winery shipments. But HB 187 is not the solution to this issue. HB 187 (Smith) is positioned as a law that will allow wine shipping to Delawareans, but has so many limitations as to be completely unworkable for direct shipping in practice. It will prohibit the shipment of wine from a winery currently on “the list” of those represented by a Delaware wholesaler. This includes smaller wineries that are subsidiaries of larger parent companies with representation. Legislators in all but a few states with wine shipping laws have considered, and soundly rejected, similar limitations.
What this means in practice: if you enjoy the wines of a particular winery by buying them at retail in DE, you will not be able to join that winery’s wine club, purchase different wines not found at retail in DE directly from their website, nor ship purchases made during a visit to the winery back to your residence. This is because the winery has representation by a wholesaler in DE. That relationship strictly dictates and limits how you, as a consumer, can have a relationship with the wineries that you love. And it does not support small businesses, as it limits the potential sales from which they could benefit by restricting the channels through which they can sell their products.
“Free the Grapes is deeply disappointed with this outcome, especially as other, more viable legislation has been presented in the past. This new law is not a step forward towards true freedom of consumer choice or support for small businesses,” 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.
The list of wines that are represented by a wholesaler in Delaware changes daily, and consumers don’t have access to this. How can Delaware wine lovers know if wines from their favorite winery are 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: Consumers are urged to take two minutes to visit Free the Grapes’ website, and send a personalized message to your state legislators to voice your frustration. We’ll keep working to find a solution with legislators.
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
