This is major…
Once, in Napa, I bought two cases of wine (mixed) and sent them to myself from a local Mailboxes Etc. The folks at the MBE were very familiar with my dilemma and were well-prepared with boxes and styro of the necessary type and dimensions.
Another time, I actually hauled a couple of cases with me halfway across California, and ultimately checked them through LAX on the way home. Those bottles never tasted right, and I’m pretty sure they got “cooked” in the trunk of my rental.
Thanks to the Supreme Court, these shenanigans are a thing of the past. The court ruled that states may not restrict the shipping of wine from out-of-state wineries. This means you can send yourself wine direct from the cellar door, or order it online from the winery of your choice. For real enthusiasts, this also means that you can put yourself on coveted mailings lists for boutique wineries.
I don’t care if this is all due to Sideways… It’s a fantastic and long-overdue development.
And while we’re on the subject of welcome oenophilic developments… How, exactly, could I have possibly have missed a law that allows you to take home unfinished bottles of wine purchased at restaurant meals? Highlights from this bulletin include:
Full Course Meal Required. A partially consumed bottle of wine may be removed from a licensed restaurant
establishment only if the bottle of wine was actually purchased in connection with a full course meal, and only if
a portion of the wine contained in the bottle was actually consumed with the meal. “Full course meal� is defined by
subdivision four of section eighty-one of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law in the following terms:*** For the purposes of this subdivision the term “full course meal” shall mean a diversified
selection of food which is ordinarily consumed with the use of tableware and cannot conveniently be
consumed while standing or walking. ***
So, if you plan on taking that bottle home tonight, don’t eat with your hands.
