trading wines with other wine makers

You might want to investigate what the laws are, regarding shipping alcohol across state/provincial lines or national borders, before you take this much farther.

-- Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Besides laws governing shipping of wine, I believe it is illegal in the US to trade homemade wine. You can only make it for personal consumption. You can serve it at you own table but you cannot legally give it away. It may be one of those laws that are ignored in general but if you start a formal club based on it I think they will take a dim view of it.

Ray

I often wondered about this. Can I assume that every home winemaking competition is illegal?

Good question. I asked ATF about the other. I don't want to ask about this one.

Ray

Actually, the regulations explicity allow you to enter competitions. The complete regulations for winemaking, including home winemaking are at

Section 24.75 says this:

(f) Removal. Wine produced under this section may be removed from the premises where made for personal or family use including use at organized affairs, exhibitions or competitions, such as home winemaker's contests, tastings or judgings, but may not under any circumstances be sold or offered for sale.

It doesn't say anything prohibiting the mailing of bottles to competitions.

I think maybe this whole homemade wine thing falls pretty much under the "Don't ask, don't tell." rules of proper government edicate. If you don't go around poking the ATF in the eye with a sharp stick, they will pretty much leave you alone. If nothing else, to avoid the inevitable bad PR the big old ugly governemnt picking on the poor hapless home winemaker would generate. Besides there's no real tax revenue to be gained by pestering the average home winemaker.

Fred

winemaker's

competitions.