If you have a friend or family member who loves wine, but lives in another state, you may be inclined to ship some over to him or her as a gift. But sending that bottle of Zinfandel across the country isn’t so straightforward. Wine laws vary greatly from place to place, with some states banning alcohol shipping to consumers. Here’s what you need to know about shipping a wine gift. No states technically allow shipping between two individuals. “You can’t do it through the U.S. Postal Service, while FedEx and UPS say you must be a certified shipper,” says Jenny Benzie, an advanced sommelier and wine consultant who owns retail shop Épernay Wine & Spirits in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She adds that in most states, there are different restrictions depending on who is shipping (a winery vs. retailer) and whether it’s going in-state or out of state. Jessyca Frederick, founder of WineClubReviews.net, says there are around 30 “Common Carrier” states. “These are the places where FedEx doesn’t have to worry about licensing issues and will happily deliver booze,” she says.

This means most retailers and wineries are willing to ship their goods to consumers in those states. copy and paste the following snippet into your site But other states are trickier and have a multitude of restrictions, requiring certain licenses for those who want to ship wine. Some consumers in restrictive states find a third-party licensed wine shipper to skirt around the rules, but this takes some extra time and effort. best white wine in new zealandFor this to work, you’d have to call a winery, have them send the wine to a third-party shipper and then have the third party ship it to you. red wine price benefitsThis entails finding a shipper that will work with you and a potential delay in your gift’s delivery due to the extra shipping step.best full bodied red wine uk

Let us help you find the best deals. Some states, like Utah, are completely closed to receiving wine shipments for consumers. South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania are technically closed to consumer shipments, but some wine clubs have licensing arrangements in those states with distributors that allow consumers to receive wine. bc wine tours mapBut considering all of the trouble you’d have to go through to ship your gift, you may want to buy the recipient in one of these states a gift card to an alcohol retailer in their area if possible.buy wine accessories set Even the states that allow shipping from almost anywhere often have quantity limits. best deals on port wineFor example, in Arizona, you can only order from wineries of a certain size, and consumers can only order two cases of wine per year.

For the most accurate information, you’d have to look up each state’s laws. But The Wine Institute, a public policy advocacy group, is a great resource for understanding each state’s rules. , which stays up-to-date with the ever-changing wine laws. Here are some strategies experts recommend to make it easier to get wine shipped where it needs to go (of course, with the exception of the states with strict laws listed above): Order directly from a winery (ideally in the same state). If your recipient loves a certain wine, call the winery directly to see if they can ship to them. If they can’t, call a winery in the person’s home state to see if they can send over the same or a similar type of wine. Use an online wine retailer. “There’s a huge amount of states that allow you to order online and get wine shipped to you, and most retailers are willing to ship almost anywhere,” says Keith Wallace, a sommelier who teaches wine shipping law at Drexel University and Wine School of Philadelphia.

He adds that their prices are also usually better than going through wineries. Wallace recommends the following retailers for offering great prices and shipping to many states: Wine Woot!, Wine Library, WTSO and Wine Access. Wine clubs make it easy for consumers to deliver a gift directly to family members or friends, says Adria Jover, CEO of online wine club Glassful. He says Glassful has the permits to ship to most states and market access that many retailers don’t have, making it likely that his or a similar wine club will be able to ship to your destination when a winery can’t. Consider that a wine club isn’t necessarily going to save you money, as Jover says wine clubs like his don’t aim to offer high discounts, but rather quality products. But they are suitable if you don’t know much about wine or want an easy way to ship wine somewhere else in the country. If the wine clubs you are looking at don’t clearly indicate which states they ship to on a shipping policy or FAQ page, consider using a site like Frederick’s WineClubReviews.net that clearly lists which clubs ship to which states.

It may take a little trial and error, but if you don’t live in one of the states with heavy restrictions, there should be a way to get your gift delivered. Wine glass image via Shutterstock.Mailing and shipping alcohol carries certain restrictions based on the carrier you are choosing. In this article, we go over shipping alcohol through the main three carriers: USPS does not allow for the mailing or shipment of alcohol, domestically or internationally. On top of this, if you are using packaging that was once used to carry alcohol, any and all labeling or branding that shows it could carry alcohol should be covered or else your package can be denied shipment. UPS permits the shipment of alcohol; however, they have a few specific requirements: You must have an account with UPS. UPS allows for the shipment of wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages on a per-contract basis. All shippers of alcohol must be licensed and authorized to ship according to the applicable federal or state laws and regulations of the origin and destination states.

UPS does not accept shipments of beer or alcohol for delivery to consumers. UPS accepts shipments of beer or alcohol only among and between selected states. The ability to ship wine depends upon the nature of the shipper's license to sell wine, and the laws of the destination states. Inner packaging of molded Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam, folded corrugated tray, or molded fiber tray. Each packaging component secures the bottles into the center of the shipping container away from the side walls of the shipper. Use of sturdy outer corrugated containers. UPS requires a special label signifying that the package contains alcohol. These can be obtained from UPS.  In addition, other labeling may be required by the origin or destination state. You must create your shipping label with a UPS Compatible Shipping Solution such as WorldShip or any approved third-party vendor system, such as ShippingEasy. An adult signature is required for the final delivery of the package.

It cannot be dropped off at an address unless someone over 21, with proper identification, signs for it. For all requirements, read UPS' guide to shipping alcohol with UPS. While FedEx permits the shipment of alcohol, unfortunately compliant labels cannot be generated through ShippingEasy. For your reference, here are the specific requirements when generating the label with FedEx: You must have an account with FedEx. You need to sign an alcohol shipping agreement with FedEx. This can be completed by contacting your FedEx account manager. Packaging that ensures your alcoholic shipment is secure. Completely covered in something soft to prevent glass breakage. Can absorb liquid if the bottle happens to break. Fedex requires a special label signifying that the package contains alcohol. These can be obtained from FedEx. You can create your shipping label using a FedEx Ship Manager® electronic shipping. This allows FedEx to readily report wine-shipping activity to state authorities as required.