Want some wine with those Maryland crabs? You better buy it locally. Uploaded to flickr by nate steiner.

In late January, Maryland lawmakers introduced legislation to legalize the direct shipment of wine to consumers from out-of-state wineries and retailers. On Sunday, I had an op-ed in the Washington Post urging citizens to fight for this bill.

Even though many lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill  (83 of 141 reps in lower chamber; and 32 of 47 senators in the upper chamber), most analysts expect the retail component of the bill to fail. Tom Wark has covered this in-depth, predicting that “wine lovers and wine retailers are about to be shafted.”

The pessimism is warranted. Last week, Del. Dereck Davis (D-Prince George’s), who chairs the Economic Matters Committee, told the Washington Post, “I’m going to do what I can to forge a consensus.” A “compromise” bill, of course, would retain the Maryland laws that prohibit residents from ordering wine from Internet retailers, joining wine-of-the-month clubs, and taking part in out-of-state wine auctions.

The Post had another article on the Maryland bill in today’s paper, which included the following:

“Some lawmakers… expressed concern about the potential harm to local stores if the bill allows consumers to have wine shipped from out-of-state retailers.

“’How do we protect them?’ asked Sen. Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore), who chairs the Senate committee that will review the legislation. That is the biggest sticking point for the alcohol industry. Bruce Bereano, a lobbyist for wholesalers, said allowing the sales would ‘harm in-state liquor stores that are family-owned and part of the fabric of communities.’”

This should make your blood boil. It’s not just offensive to consumers – it offends common sense. It’s protectionism at its worst.

Imagine if a state prohibited Amazon from shipping books, because the sales would “harm in-state book stores that are family-owned and part of the fabric of communities.” Or Zappos, because interstate sales could threaten the local shoe store.

Consumers  — stuck with fewer choices and higher prices — would rightfully be outraged. (Not to mention the Interstate Commerce Clause, which is a whole other issue.)

Anti-consumer, anti-choice wine laws must be reformed. These days, I stay on top of issues that affect wine consumers on the facebook page for the American Wine Consumer Coalition. Check it out, “like” it, and join this fight.

(Mike Diamond of The Beastie Boys is a well-known oenophile. So this video is appropriate.)