The wine war

摘要

David Lucas, who beams with pride at the "fruity zinfandel almost like a pinot" that he grows at his tiny winery in California, is totally shut out from America's second-largest wine market, the state of New York. There are, of course, New York tourists who occasionally drop by for a tasting. But they soon discover that New York laws do not allow them to order a case from Mr Lucas to be shipped home. That is because New York is one of 24 American states that ban or restrict direct wine sales from other states. Selling through New York's huge wine wholesalers is also not an option, since the Lucas Winery is so small that the wholesalers will not do business with it.