A new bill was introduced yesterday here in my home state of Minnesota that is aimed at making wine available in most grocery stores. The Wine With Dinner bill was introduced by Senator Linda Scheid (D - Brooklyn Park) and Representative Phyllis Kahn (D - Minneapolis).

Like some states, Minnesota has liquor laws that have been nearly unchanged since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Powerful interests control the sale of alcoholic beverages in the state and our taxes on wine are among the highest in the country. This control over supply has also reduced competition so we tend to pay more for wine here than most states (I’m always surprised to see how inexpensive wine is on my trips to California, for example).

I hope this law passes but I’m not getting my hopes too high as this issue has been defeated in the past. Let’s hope this time the status quo in Minnesota wine distribution will change.