Vintage Story

Epistemological epiphany:
Life must be lived forwards,
but can only be understood backwards
Mercifully, life may be enjoyed sideways!

Full Moon: March 3, 2007. Allen Dale Olson a/k/a the Pontiff of Palate, Story Inn’s Wine Connoisseur. Copyright 2007 Story Bed & Breakfast, LLP, d/b/a Story Inn, all rights reserved.

VINSENSE

            VinSense? Vin – the French word for wine. Sense – a word to use with common. Not usually so used, however, in Indiana where wine is concerned. VinSense, Inc. is a new word – and more importantly, a new organization, an organization for wine consumers.

            VinSense was born when a few Hoosier consumers began to realize that the Indiana State Legislature mandates what wines we can drink and where we can obtain them. The legislature makes it impossible for Hoosiers to buy wine in California or anywhere else out of state for shipment to our homes. We can’t even buy it from our own Indiana wineries unless we pay a personal visit to the winery.

            This means that our own elected representatives restrict our wine purchases to only five percent of the wines produced in the United States. Think of it: 95% of all wines made in the United States are unavailable to us because of Indiana law.

            How has this come to be? Easily. Wholesale distributors have written the laws themselves, then made generous contributions to legislators’ election campaigns. Legislators, as we know, are very busy on a great many issues, so they appreciate not only the financial support but also the fact that they don’t have to write the legislation. Voters in 34 other states have figured this out and convinced their legislatures and, in some cases, the courts to remove shopping and shipping restrictions, and all of these states continue to exist without catastrophic results. Only Hoosier legislators live in fear of their citizens enjoying a free and open wine market, free to buy via the Internet, the Post Office, the fax or telephone. We can’t think of one other food so restricted.

            Wholesalers use “teen phobia” to defend their monopoly. They attempt to frighten us into believing that teens will use the Internet to order and receive wine. (They pretend fake IDs and “big brothers” and careless retailers don’t exist.) Wholesalers scare us by saying direct purchases will deny the state its share of excise taxes. Not true anywhere else, why here?

            VinSense, Inc. is opposed to underage drinking and will work to discourage it. VinSense, Inc. has no objection to the state assessing and collecting excise and other appropriate taxes. We merely want to expand opportunities for wine consumers to enjoy the wines of their choice and to eliminate the state’s mandate that wine can only be purchased through licensed retailers.

            VinSense,Inc. wants to correct these nonsensical miscarriages of justice. To do so we need members. Members, not money, At least not membership dues. At least for the first year. Donations, of course, are welcome – indeed necessary. We need members who vote. Members who will complain to elected representatives about this sorry situation. Members who will encourage VinSense, Inc. to plead their case to the Public Policy and Commerce Committees. Members who will support VinSense, Inc. to inform one and all, including the wholesalers, that we are not against anything or anyone other than the monopoly the wholesalers have thrust upon the Legislature.

            Go to www.vinsense.org for more information and for membership procedures. The website also includes links to Indiana wineries, pending court cases, legislative updates, and a forum for members’ comments, suggestions, and complaints. Go now. Go often. VinSense, Inc is on the march.

Vintage Story is an e-newsletter authored by Ole Olson and published by the Story Inn, and is available free of charge to all who appreciate good wine. Vintage Story is published at each full moon. The author and the Story Inn specifically authorize the republication, reprinting and circulation of any issue Vintage Story so long as due credit is given to the author and to the Story Inn (which holds the copyright).

If any newspaper or website desires to make use of any issue of Vintage Story, we do request that you notify us. Thanks, and here's to your health!