A bill to increase the number of wineries that could self-distribute in Illinois has been introduced into the state Senate.
In a statement, the National Association of Wine Retailers said:
“Too often wineries inside Illinois and across the country are unable to find a wholesaler to represent them in the state, leaving them only the self-distribution option for getting their products on the shelves of Illinois wine retailers and on the wine lists of restaurants.
“Unfortunately, the current law limits self-distribution rights to wineries inside and outside Illinois that produce no more than 25,000 gallons of wine annually. This cap excludes too many wineries. Moreover, the current law limits wineries to self-distributing no more than 5,000 gallons of wine annually to restaurants and retailers in the state.
“When forced to procure their inventory primarily from the relatively small selection of wines offered by wholesalers, retailers are unable to compete on selection and instead are forced to compete on price, which results in a ‘race to the bottom’ and far lower margins for retailers,” NAWR said.