Minnesota wineries were required to use 51% of grapes for their wines from in-state vineyards before a judge ruled against the rule. | Unsplash
Minnesota wineries were required to use 51% of grapes for their wines from in-state vineyards before a judge ruled against the rule. | Unsplash
A "protectionist" rule requiring wineries in Minnesota to make wine with 51% of their grapes coming from vineyards in that state was struck down by a federal judge, which could lead to impacts throughout the country in states with similar rules.
“This is a huge win for the future of the wine industry and small wineries in Minnesota,” Nan Bailly, owner of Alexis Bailly Vineyard, told The Center Square. “We are finally free to make the wines we want to make, not the wine dictated by the state legislature.”
Vintners have said this rule cripples competition, because many consumers prefer wines made from grapes not grown in the state.
Bailly said Minnesota grapes are more acidic, which is why many wineries in the state like to mix the grapes with out-of-state grapes.
Bailly joined the Institute for Justice to challenge this law, which hurts her businesses and other wineries in the state.
“My lawsuit was very much intended to spark competition and force local wineries to make better wines,” Bailly told The Center Square.
Judge Wilhelmina Wright said the 51% law violates the U.S. Constitution and said this law is designed to favor in-state economic interests.
“There is no suggestion in the record or the parties’ arguments that the act’s in-state requirement serves any interest other than favoring Minnesota’s economic interests over similar out-of-state economic interests," Wright said, The Center Square reported.
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