California has generated considerable excitement in the industry by offering a DTC permit allowing craft distillers across the country to ship their products directly to consumers in California, one of the country's largest retail markets. Since COVID, California craft distillers have had a temporary direct shipping privilege, which ends 12/31/2025. California’s new Type 94 Direct Shipper Permit will allow spirits direct shipping for both in-state and out-of-state craft distillers. CA ABC will accept applications starting December 15, 2025, and will issue permits effective January 1, 2026. Here's what craft distillers need to know about this new permit; those located outside of California should consider these requirements before jumping on this opportunity: The permit is only available to distillers producing 150,000 gallons or less per year, of which sixty-five percent (65%) must be of their own production. The permit will expire on 12/31/2026 and cannot be renewed unl

The California legislature recently amended the California recycling labeling requirements for wine and spirits containers, making it significantly easier for wineries and distilleries to comply. The new law, AB 720, extended the deadlines for complying with the labeling requirements and authorized the use of QR codes for CRV compliance. Here are the specifics: The deadline by when all wine and spirits containers in the marketplace must have CRV labeling has been extended a year, from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026. The cut-off date for the permanent exemption of already labeled containers from CRV requirements has been extended 18 months, from January 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025. Now, any containers filled and labeled without CRV markings before July 1, 2025 will not need any additional labeling to be compliant, even if sold after July 1, 2026. Wineries and distilleries may now use half-inch high QR codes for CRV compliance. This creates an important precedent for other states to follow. W

Wineries holding a Maine Direct Shipper of Wine License may have recently received correspondence from the ME Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) urging them to either comply with the DEP’s new recycling requirements right away or cancel their license. The California Wine Institute met with the agencies involved and confirmed that neither the ME Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage & Lottery Operations (BABLO) nor the DEP will take action against DTC licensees that have not fulfilled the recycling requirements, as long as they do not ship to Maine consumers. For holders of a ME DTC license, we recommend keeping the license in place, but not shipping direct to consumers in ME until the issues are worked out. The DEP has acknowledged the problems and is currently working on several possible proposals to potentially ease the requirements in 2026. The DEP is also seeking public comment, and has posted information on how to comment on their recycling program on this webpage. We

DTC product registrations are now available via Product Registration Online (PRO) for those holding the new Arkansas Wine Direct Shipping Permit. Please note: if PRO requires selecting a wholesaler during the registration process, the license is not being recognized as a DTC license. This can be corrected by AR ABC’s staff. Email them using the contact information provided in PRO. Subscribers to The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law have easy access to important state updates, which include citations to relevant regulations. For a demonstration of The Digest, view the video, or contact us to schedule a live screen-share demo. Visit our website or give us a call: 800-400-1353.

So far this year three additional states—Arkansas, Mississippi, and most recently Delaware—have approved the issuance of licenses allowing DTC wine sales. Here is a brief overview of these new licenses: Arkansas The new Arkansas Wine Direct Shipping Permit went into effect on August 5, 2025. Older AR Wine Shipping Permits were automatically converted to the new permit type on that date without requiring any application or additional fees. Registration of labels to be shipped DTC is required via Product Registration Online (PRO) before shipping can commence under the new permit. Any labels that are registered for sales at wholesale in AR are considered also registered for DTC. However, at the time of this posting, the PRO system does not allow DTC-only product registrations to be completed. We are monitoring the status and will post an update once DTC label registrations can be successfully submitted. Mississippi The MS Alcoholic Beverage Control is now issuing the new Direc

The Mississippi ABC is now accepting applications for its new Direct Wine Shipper’s Permit. In addition to the requirements listed in our earlier post, applicants must also register for a use tax account with the MS Department of Revenue before applying for the DTC permit. Both applications are submitted online in MS TAP. The process does not require registration with the MS Secretary of State, nor submission of a tax bond. However, companies located outside of Mississippi that derive income from Mississippi may be subject to income or franchise taxes, even if they are not registered with the MS Secretary of State. We recommend that wineries considering this permit consult their tax advisor. The MS ABC has clarified what products may legally be shipped directly to MS consumers under the Direct Wine Shipper’s Permit. Products distributed through the MS control system as “bailment items” (regularly listed products owned by suppliers and stored in the ABC war

Starting July 1, 2025, wine bottles shipped DTC to Maine consumers will be covered by Maine’s recycling program. Previously, wine sold at wholesale has been subject to the recycling requirements, but wine shipped DTC has been exempt. To continue shipping DTC to Maine beyond July 1, wineries will need to comply with the requirements of that program.  A law passed in 2023 required this change, but the implications for DTC shippers were uncertain. On June 4, 2025, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a memo explaining the program and its requirements for DTC shippers. We’ve summarized them briefly below. In order to continue to ship DTC to Maine after July 1, wineries must become the responsible party for recycling requirements by registering as an Initiator of Deposit (IOD). To become an IOD, wineries need to obtain a license from the ME DEP. The annual fee for wineries producing no more than 50,000 gallons a year is $50. The annual fee for wine

Arkansas, one of the last states that limited direct shipping of wine, is finally ending the requirement that purchases be made in-person at the winery, making true direct shipping available to Arkansas wine lovers. On April 16, 2025 House Bill 1476 became law, expanding the availability, privileges, and requirements for the AR wine direct shipper license. The expanded license will be available to wineries, suppliers, and importers. The initial fee for the license will be increased to $50, but the annual renewal fee will remain $25. While previous law limited direct shippers to 4 cases per consumer per year, the new law allows for the shipment of up to 24 cases to an Arkansas resident annually. Licensees must not ship to addresses in a dry territory and will be required to register the labels to be shipped, pay applicable taxes, and report shipments annually.  Although the law will become effective 90 days after the legislatures’ May 5 adjournment, it requires the Alcoholic

There are two new requirements involving the recycling of wine containers in Oregon: one covering wine in bottles or other types of packaging, and one covering wine in cans. The former will be covered under Oregon's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law starting July 1, 2025, while the latter will be incorporated into the existing beverage container recycling system on the same date. Legislation to include wine bottles in the existing beverage container deposit and recycling system failed due to opposition, so suppliers shipping to Oregon need to be aware of two separate systems, depending on how they package their wines. Wine Bottles Wine bottles and other forms of packaging (such as bag-in-a-box and Tetra Packs) will be covered by Oregon's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law starting July 1, 2025. By March 31, 2025, all suppliers that ship packaged wine in or into Oregon (unless exempt as described below) must register with the designated Producer Responsibility

Mississippi, which has been one of the last holdouts on DTC shipping, has finally joined the other states that allow wineries to ship directly to their residents. On February 27, Mississippi's governor signed a bill creating a direct wine shipper's permit for wineries to ship their wine to Mississippi residents. The law goes into effect July 1, 2025, however, the MS Department of Revenue must still create a process and licensing forms and may also engage in rulemaking for the new permit. Here are some of the highlights from the bill that was passed: Only wineries qualify for this permit Wines offered for sale through Mississippi distributors, brokers, and solicitors in the state may not be shipped DTC unless designated as “highly allocated” (which the state has yet to define) Wineries may only ship twelve (12) nine (9) liter cases of wine annually to any one address Fulfillment providers and common carriers must also be licensed to ship on behalf of wineries The li