Indiana Wineries File Lawsuit

Happy Beaujolais Day! Until you pick up your Beaujolais Nouveau today, here's a little in-state Indiana wine news to tide you over.

Wine drinkers will recall the Michigan law overturned in May by a Supreme Court ruling regarding out-of-state wine shipments. The Supremes opened up the way for states to allow out-of-state shipments of wine to individual customers. (It's still against the law in Indiana until some gung ho wine enthusiasts tackle getting it changed or the legislature does it. But, you know, what with trying to pass intelligent design or repeal daylight savings time, who in the statehouse has the time?) So, back to our Indiana story. Apparently, in the week after the ruling, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission sent a letter to all Indiana wineries telling them that *in-state* customer shipments were illegal also. This was news to the wineries in state who've apparently been happily shipping wine to customers for 30 years.

Nine Indiana wineries filed suit in Madison county on Tuesday to ask for an injunction against this seemingly strange ban against in-state shipments. Their attorney says there's no law on the books banning in-state shipments of wine. He also says the ban has hurt many small wineries who've relied heavily on the shipments to customers and want to save their holiday seasons. Hearing is on Monday. AP Wire story from Indychannel.com