Wholesale in New Jersey? NJ

I’ve got some vendors asking to carry our wines in NJ, does anyone know whether we can ship them directly, or who a willing reputable boutique distributor might be?

Wouldn’t the vendors know this? PM Ian Dorin and I’m sure he’ll be able to help you.

A winery cannot sell direct to retail in NJ and you cannot ship direct (no common carrier deliveries). To sell you must have a distributor or a wholesaler’s license and the wine is stored at a winery or NJ warehouse. Also must price post each wine on a monthly basis with the state - and register each label annually.

Karen, then how do CA wineries do DTC?

Wineries can get a DTC license - just apply and pay (must be an 02 Winegrower -not a 17/20) but it’s expensive - without looking up exact fees we pay, I think it is somewhere around $850 per year for the DTC license, plus cost of a bond, plus you have to pay to register each label of wine you are going to sell to consumers. Those fees are each year. You also have to price post on a monthly basis and report taxes. With a NJ DTC license you can ship direct-to consumer and ship via common carrier but you cannot sell direct to trade (on/off premise) with just a DTC license.

The question was asked about selling wines direct to retail/restaurants/trade - that you cannot do without a wholesaler’s license. We hold both NJ DTC and NJ Wholesaler’s licenses.

I was at a tasting in April and met Olivia from Merchant 23. (http://Www.merchant23.com). She said they could clear shipments into states where we did not have representation. I can’t vouch for their service, but it might be worth looking them up. Send me a message or email and I can forward her contact info.

Spoke with them - they have a very expensive operating model. Guessing most smaller producers won’t want to give up that much margin to operate within it. Plus wineries still have to pay for their own compliance in each state (most states require permits to work with distributors within that state).

Welcome to my world!! Little guys need to figure out how to unite…