THE SUPREME COURT RULES ON WINE:

States cannot ban direct out-of-state wine shipments if they allow their wineries to sell directly to consumers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a decision that could lead to lower prices and more easily available choices.

By a 5-4 vote, the high court ruled that the bans involving out-of-state wineries unconstitutionally discriminated against interstate commerce. Such laws have been adopted in 23 states while the other 27 states allow direct wine sales, industry officials said.

Defenders of the laws argued that states under the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition in 1933, have the power to regulate the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages.

I actually think that the defenders may be right here, but that won’t stop me from enjoying a better market for wine than Tennessee’s rather protectionist setup has heretofor permitted. However, unlike Professor Bainbridge I doubt I’ll need a Personal Wine Curator to keep track of my collection. Even a robotic one.

UPDATE: Bainbridge says that the ruling may not affect Tennessee. Dang. An arguably-wrong decision that also won’t benefit me personally. No upside there.