Illinois wine consumers are protesting a new bill that prevents out of state wineries from shipping wines into the state.
House Bill 429 was signed by governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been impeached on corruption charges.
Launching a campaign on January 19, the Illinois Wine Consumer Coalition claims to have over 500 members who are actively seeking to overturn the House Bill.
Gretchen Neuman of the IWCC said, ‘It’s almost un-American to be told what we can and cannot eat or drink.
‘We’ve formed over the past few months to inform the public, the media and state representatives that this is a violation of rights.’
Tom Wark, executive director of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association, said ‘The SWRA fully supports consumers in Illinois. Consumers were disregarded when this law passed.’
The IWCC says on its website that the US Supreme Court made clear in the Granholm decision of 2005 that banning the right of businesses to ship intra-state was illegal in all but the narrowest circumstances.
Written by Mark Storer
