Great post over at Pinot Law that I highly recommend you check out. Here’s the take-away for the time strapped:

I do not wish to belabor the point, but the sooner the wholesalers realize that a major paradigm shift has occurred in the wine market, the better off they will be. The Internet is not going away any time soon, and it is already revolutionizing how wineries and consumers interact. Arguably, by permitting self distribution and direct shipments to consumers, small wineries can grow into big wineries — and big wineries will need a wholesaler to ship their goods. As the wine industry goes larger and more competitive throughout the country, that is great news for consumers, wineries and yes, even wholesalers.

UPDATE: And here’s a link to Tom Wark’s latest press release on the 75th anniversary of Prohibition.

Money quote:

At the height of Prohibition a small syndicate of powerful and wealthy individuals controlled alcohol distribution across the country through corruption, close affiliations with government officials and heavy-handed tactics. On the 75th anniversary of Repeal of Prohibition, a small group of alcohol distributors completely control alcohol distribution through heavy-handed tactics that stymie entrepreneurship and prevent consumer access to wine — all for the sake of extraordinary wholesaler profits.