Hawai’i Wine Country Thanks to the Aloha State, we have direct interstate wine shipping in America today. If you go back almost 40 years, to 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bacchus decision ruled that giving Hawaiian pineapple wine favorable treatment in terms of excise taxes would be unfair discrimination under the Commerce Clause. That same … Read more
Shutdown Showdown?: If it’s September, it’s time for this annual Washington drama, a manufactured crisis of political theater that typically lasts right up until the deadline (midnight, September 30), That’s when the government would run out of money unless Congress passes (and the President signs) a “Continuing Resolution” (CR, in DC lingo) that extends the … Read more
Surrounded by massive bodies of water on three sides and on a relatively low (hot) latitude, Florida is ideal for growing all kinds of citrus and tropical fruits, but hospitable only to muscadine grapes—which is fine, as they can produce some real good wines. The large economic impact of wine on Florida’s economy is due … Read more
Source: WineAmerica 2025 National Economic Impact Study of the Wine Industry, conducted by John Dunham & Associates, including detailed data nationally and for all 50 states, plus Methodology, all available at WineAmerica 2025 Economic Study. Delaware Wine Country “The First State” proudly adorns Delaware license plates, and Swedish settlers first made wine in 1638. But … Read more
The Lull Before the Storm August in DC is always predictable: hot, and slow. The heat and humidity are predictably oppressive, and members of Congress are home for a very long recess until the beginning of September. Then the (legislative) heat is on to avoid a government shutdown by September 30. Meanwhile, the National Guard … Read more