question for KCWhippit and /or other Taxachuusetts wine guzzlers

[njjchiro]

I know that we cannot order wines and have them shipped direct from the vineyards, but can we have wine shipped to us from out of state by a private individual?

[Kcwhippet]

Actually, it's not strictly true that wineries can't ship to us in MA. There apparently are a few different arrangements that can be made to allow it, though I'm not exactly sure what they are. Some wineries have communicated with me that they are able to get wine to me by shipping directly to a distributor who then forwards the wine on to me. That's at no additional cost to me. Pahlmeyer, Bell and a few others do that. Other wineries ship in via third party shipping companies. Those wineries and shipping companies shall be publicly nameless lest the "wrong" people read these posts. Suffice it to say, I receive a significant quantity of wine from various sources throughout the year. To the point of your question, I also receive wine from private individuals. It should be packaged so it doesn't appear obvious that it's wine, and it shouldn't be declared as wine to the shipper (UPS, FedEx, etc.). Also, even though some people do, it really shouldn't be sent via USPS because that's a federal offense and not something you'd want to deal with. If the wine's coming from CA, I'd be glad to give you a list of third party shippers off the air.

[Innkeeper]

On private shipments, tell the shipper truthfully that the package contains package goods in glass.

[njjchiro]

Thanbks KC, I'll be stopping by your store in the next week or two.

Nick

[Botafogo]

Make that "artisinal fruit juice preserves" in glass.....or the old standby, "equine urine samples for analysis"!

Roberto