On June 11, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) issued a Marketing Practices Advisory (MPA 055) clarifying the volume that a winery can legally ship directly to Texas consumers in a single year. The limit is 35,000 gallons and the calculation must include the total volume shipped over a calendar year.
The recent TABC Advisory builds on a 2012 TABC Licensing Bulletin (LIC001) that outlined the required permit and process for wineries authorized to make direct shipments. It also noted that Texas package stores are authorized to deliver wine directly to 15 million Texas residents of legal drinking age. A stern warning appears at the end of the bulletin that unauthorized shipments would be actionable by the TABC.
A strong record of voluntary compliance will help preserve and expand e-commerce privileges for industry suppliers.