Wine for Wedding-Need Advice

[Drew]

Burgergp,welcome. This response should also answer your other question posted in Best Buys. You won't be able to legally ship the wine to Virginia as it's a Felony. Alabama has limited shipping laws and you'll have to check with that State for specific regulations. All that aside, you should be able to purchase decent, inexpensive wines in Alabama and Sams or Costco are good with prices.

For reds would go with the '98 or '99 Columbia Crest "Grand Estates" Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Case price under $8 per bottle. '99 Bogle Merlot, Cab, or Petit Sirah are nice and easy drinking and should come in less than $10/btl case price. You could also go with Marietta "Old vines" (less than $10/blt case) or Cline Cotes D'Oakley Vin Rouge(less than $7/btl case) which are tasty red Zinfandel blends.

For whites, you can't beat a nice sparkling wine. Gruet makes a delicious blanc de Noir sparkler that you should be able to get for around $10/btl, give or take.
Sauvignon Blanc is another white that should pair well with chicken, seafood and/or the white wine crowd and there are many great values from New Zealand and South Africa that should be had for under $10/btl case price. Look for Brampton (S. Africa) or Brancott or Nobilo (NZ). Value US Sauvignon Blanc worth looking for is Bogle, Fetzer and Canyon Road, to name a few, under $10/btl case price.

BTW, would stay away from Chardonnay as the value wines are usually not food friendly ie. too much oak.

Would always recommend purchasing single bottles to try before you buy en mass to see if fits your taste. Others on the board may chime in with recommendations

SHIPPING REGULATIONS

Limited
Some states allow limited importation of wine for personal use. "Limited" means many things -- restricting the amount of wine that a resident can bring in during a given time period, requiring the winery or consumer to acquire a special permit or ensuring that state taxes are paid on the purchase. Some states place such substantial restrictions on the consumers, wineries, retailers, or shipping companies that it's impractical to ship there. However, in some of those cases, it may be legal to personally bring in small quantities of wine. The laws are often unclear, so for specific details on individual states, check with your state Alcohol Beverage Control agency. The following states are limited: AL, AK, CT, DC, LA, NE, NV, NH, ND, OH, RI, SC, VT, WY.

Prohibited
Many states simply prohibit any direct shipments from out of state. (However, some of these allow you to personally carry in small quantities, so you can stick a bottle or two in your suitcase or car.) Seven of these states -- FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, NC, TN -- are felony states. If a winery is caught shipping to a consumer in violation of state law, the can face felony penalties, and if convicted, lose their federal permit to make wine. In addition, North Dakota and Oklahoma have made it a felony to ship wine to minors. It is prohibited to ship wine to the following states: AK, DE, FL, GA, IN, KA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MT, NJ, NY, NC, OK, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA.

Drew




[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 06-01-2002).]