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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA bill meant to boost wineries in Indiana by letting them sell directly to dealers or retailers passed a House committee Tuesday.
It now moves to the full House for consideration.
The ability for wineries to direct-sell wine has been a back-and-forth battle over the decades.
In 1971, state lawmakers passed the Farm Winery Act, which allowed wineries to sell directly to retailers. That changed in 2005, when the U.S Supreme Court ruled that states can’t let one group of wineries sell directly to retailors without allowing all to do so.
The following year, the Indiana General Assembly created a micro-wine wholesalers permit that made wineries go through a third party to sell their wine.
House Bill 1387 will amend the previous law and allow wineries to distribute up to 5,000 gallons of wine to grocery stores, restaurants, bars and other establishments.
The proposal was studied this summer by the Interim Study Committee on Economic Development.
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