Philly Wine Finder

Corbett Privatization Plan Would Hurt Philly Wine Lovers

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett announced his support for privatizing alcohol sales in Pennyslvania yesterday.   Although privatization has widespread support among consumers, we believe it will hurt Philly wine lovers the most.  Without the state monopoly, many of the great deals on wine we've been writing about on this blog (some of them not available anywhere else) would go away.  A privatized Philadelphia wine market would probably look very similar to New Jersey, and  Philadelphia wine consumers already have access (albeit illegal) to that market.  Privatization, often touted as a way to expand choice for consumers, would actually result in less choice for Philadelphia wine drinkers.  Philadelphia wine drinkers should oppose privatization, and push instead for legalizing wine buying in NJ and for allowing shipping of wine into Pennsylvania.

 

H.R. 5034 Gaining Momentum?

Wine Spectator has a good article on the complicated issues and interests surrounding H.R. 5034, federal legislation that would strengthen states' authority to regulate alcohol and prohibit direct shipping of wine to consumers.  According to the article:

"Introduced on April 15 by Congressman William Delahunt (D-Mass.), the CARE Act [H.R.5034], if passed, would erect large hurdles for anyone attempting to challenge a state’s wine-shipping laws through litigation by giving the 21st Amendment, which grants states the right to control alcohol sales, precedence over the Commerce Clause, the section in Article One that prohibits states from discriminating between in- and out-of-state commerce."

Of course this would be bad news for anyone hoping for any kind of reform of the PLCB or the wine laws in Pennsylvania. Although we have spoken in favor of PA's monopoly on distribution and retail due to the  good deals available through the Chairman's Selection Program and also because of Philadelphia's  proximity to NJ, we support direct shipping and would like to be able to buy wine legally through the Internet and in other states.

If H.R. 5034 passes that would not happen.  Worst case scenario could be a privatization of the distribution system and no direct shipping, leaving Philadelphians with the same system NJ has now (which we have [illegal] access to anyway), but no Chairman's Selection Program.  Although if H.R. 5034 passes privatization would seem less likely as well.

A commentator on the Spectator article notes that PA is one of the states with a high number of reps supporting H.R. 5034.

H.R. 5034 benefits wholesalers; not consumers.  Here are the folks fighting it:

Free the Grapes
CapWiz form to contact US Congress members
Facebook group "Stop HR5034"

Wine School Pres Keith Wallace Backs Republican Tom Corbett

We're disappointed that Wine School of Philadelphia president Keith Wallace is backing Republican Tom "the unemployed just sit there" Corbett.  We like the classes offered at the Wine School and the email newsletter they send out, which always includes some good PLCB wine recommendations.  Which is why we were bummed to find in the latest Wine School newsletter that Wallace is backing the Republican candidate for Governor.

Since Wallace is president of a Wine School, we assume that it's in his interest to have the strict PA liquor laws changed.  Perhaps Wallace would like more and easier options to buy wine; or maybe he wants to sell wine himself.  All that is fine, but in the newsletter Wallace adopts an aww shucks I didn't want all this attention tone and represents himself as some kind of selfless consumer advocate and champion of the little guy.

In the newsletter Wallace says "...nearly every wine drinker in PA is fed up with the PLCB."

Really? Well, we're wine drinkers in PA and we are not fed up.  We are finding that with a little shopping around some very good deals can be had through the PLCB Chairman's Selections program.  In addition, other wine frequently goes on sale. We may be in the minority, but a number of wine drinkers on PAWineTalk would seem to agree. No doubt the PLCB has it's quirks, but we find it's critics tend to go overboard and are often politically motivated.

Wallace is also a critic of the PA wine kiosks. His quote about the kiosks, repeated in many news stories is this:

"The process is cumbersome and assumes the worst in Pennsylvania's wine consumers — that we are a bunch of conniving underage drunks," Wallace wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "(Liquor board) members are clearly detached from reality if they think these machines offer any value to the consumer."

We agree with Wallace that the kiosks look cumbersome. Yet even though fancy critics like Wallace have bashed the kiosks,  the sales have exceeded expectations, so consumers seem to like them. Consumers couldn't buy wine in the supermarket before; PLCB came up with a way to work within the law so that they could.  What is wrong with that? How does that hurt the consumer?  Maybe it's Wallace who is detached from reality. 

Alcohol is regulated in every state. Some states have weirder laws than others. We admit PA's laws are pretty weird. If PA's laws are going to be reformed, we need to see details of how they are going to be reformed and who the new laws will benefit. 

In the Wine School newsletter, Wallace says: 

"So, for the last few weeks I been talking with some folks down in Harrisburg.I am really excited: we have a once-in-a-decade shot at reforming the PLCB.In those conversations, I have gained assurances that Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett will make reforming the PLCB an element of his administration. Don't ask me to say more than that-- you know I can't; all this political intrigue is not good for a simple soul like myself."

Ah yes, a simple soul. Wallace then asks his readers to attend a $500 fundraiser for Corbett, organized by none other than former PLCB chairman Jonathan Newman.

Well, sorry, but before we shell out $500, or even worse vote Republican, we need more than vague "assurances."  What are the details? How will the laws be reformed? Will the new laws really benefit consumers and the citizens of PA?  Or will privatization cost the state money and really only benefit Corbett and his cronies? Simple soul Wallace needs to come clean and spell out exactly what kind of reforms he is calling for before he gets our support.

If you stop and think about it, the PLCB can actually be seen as government run system that actually works. It provides money for the state of Pennsylvania, some good deals for consumers due to its buying power, and it provides good jobs for its workers. Maybe that's why Republicans and other free market fundamentalists hate it so much.