A federal appeals court has upheld a New York state law that blocks out-of-state wineries from shipping wine to consumers there.
The decision by three judges of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling two years ago that said the ban interferes with interstate commerce, according to wire service reports.
The three-judge panel was not moved by evidence that the Internet and easier travel have created easier access for an “increasingly sophisticated national market of wine connoisseurs.”
The case was brought by Swedenburg Estate Vineyards, in Middleburg, Va., a small winery that produces about 2,500 cases of wine annually. Customers can order from the vineyard over the Internet at www.swedenburgwines.com.
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