Winebits 277: Direct shipping edition

? New York decision: There is a lot of legalese in this blog post from the California firm of Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty, but the gist is that New York state ? based on a recent liquor authority ruling ? will apparently make it harder for third parties, like Amazon, to participate in Internet wine sales. Specifically, says the post, the New York decision (which we ?ve discussed here) and a 2011 California liquor board ruling aren ?t consistent in several important areas. This is crucial, since Amazon is basing its business model on the California ruling. I ?ve been told by my liquor law sources that what happened in New York is not surprising and that there are still many unknowns as Amazon tries to expand into the two-thirds of the country where it doesn ?t do business.

? Welcome to Texas: Amazon, on the other hand, scored a victory here when it announced five Texas wineries will participate in its wine marketplace. The Texas liquor board decision to allow Amazon into the state was a close run thing, I was told, but the result is that consumers in the 15 other states (plus the District of Columbia) that Amazon serves will be able to buy some very nice wine. If you need any recommendations, click on the blog ?s Texas wine category link. Also worth noting: I talked to several Texas winemakers, and they said Amazon sent employees to the state to taste wines before launching the program. Now there ?s a job ? wine scout for Amazon.

? Who needs Amazon? Not the British, where two entrepreneurs have a plan to let retailers sell excess inventory on the Internet. GrapePip.com, reports the Harpers trade magazine, was set up by Caspar and Victoria Bowes, who run fine wine merchant Bowes Wine. Their goal is to sell almost $400,000 worth of wine in their first year, using an eBay-style auction system.