Winery Direct Shipper License

A Winery Direct Shipper license is a manufacturing tier license that allows any person, firm, or corporation who holds a federal basic permit to manufacture, bottle, or rectify wine, to ship that wine produced under that permit by common carrier to consumers in the State of Tennessee who are over the age of twenty-one (21) and have purchased the wine directly from the direct shipper.

You can apply for this license using RLPS.

Requirements

  • The establishment must have a federal basic permit to manufacture, bottle, or rectify wine before they can qualify for a direct shipper license.
  • They must agree that all hearings, appeals, and other matters relating to their license will be held in the State of Tennessee by signing a consent to jurisdiction.
  • They must acknowledge in writing that they will contract with common carriers that all deliveries of wine in this state will be a face-to-face transaction to an individual who can demonstrate that they are over twenty-one (21) years of age.
  • Shipments of wine must be clearly marked, visible from at least three feet (3') away with the statement "CONTAINS ALCOHOL: SIGNATURE OF PERSON OVER 21 OR OLDER REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY".
  • A winery direct shipper licensee must hold a license in its home state to manufacture, bottle, or rectify wine
  • Winery direct shipper licensees must maintain records of the name, address, and license number of any fulfillment house used, the name of the common carrier, the date of each shipment, the carrier tracking number, the quantity, price, and product of wine shipped, and the name and address of the recipient for three (3) years. These records must be submitted quarterly to the commission.

Restrictions

  • A winery direct shipper may not ship more than nine (9) liters of wine to any individual during any calendar month. A winery direct shipper that produces two hundred seventy thousand (270,000) liters of wine or more per calendar year may not ship more than twenty-seven (27) liters of wine to any individual in any calendar year. A winery direct shipper that produces or manufactures less than two hundred seventy thousand (270,000) liters of wine per calendar year may ship up to fifty-four (54) liters of wine to an individual per calendar year.
  • A winery direct shipper may only ship their own wine brands into Tennessee and may not ship other wine brands. This includes wine produced at their winery, and certain wines produced exclusively for the winery.
  • A winery direct shipper licensee may not avoid liability by subcontracting with a third party to perform its obligations to comply with license restrictions