Updated: May 6, 2025

Dear Wine Lovers of Mississippi,

As you may remember, Bill S 2145 was signed into law by the Governor on 2/27/25. This will take effect as of July 2025 and open the state for winery-to-consumer direct shipping for the first time. The original language in this bill contained some concerning points, some of which were remedied more recently with the passing of S 2851 on 4/10/25. The requirements still limit consumer choice to only those wines not sold in the state control system, or to those wines already offered for sale but identified by distributors, brokers, or solicitors as "highly allocated" via a state website. This means that only a very small selection of wines will be allowed as winery-to-consumer direct shipments.

However, the passing of S 2851 implemented a partial fix for some other concerning features. These fixes removed criminal penalties that were originally included in S 2145 and replaced them with more amenable civil penalties. We will continue to see if progress can be made on changing the limitations on wine selection as things move forward.

However, a partial fix for some other concerning features was implemented with the passing of S 2851. These fixes removed criminal penalties that were originally included in S 2145, replacing them with civil penalties. We will continue to see if progress can be made on changing the limitations on wine selection as things move forward.

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Thank you - Free the Grapes!