AL. Legislature OKs wine shipment bill, while Bham welcomes new wine app startup

Wine connoisseurs are celebrating the passage in the Alabama Legislature of a wine shipment bill. Meanwhile in Birmingham, an innovative startup that has developed a new wine app announced its intentions to locate in the Magic City.  

Here are the details. 

Wine Shipment Bill Goes to the Governor

This has been a great year in the Alabama Legislature for people who prefer to have alcohol delivered directly to their home. Earlier this month, Governor Kay Ivey signed into law Shipt-supported alcohol delivery legislation. 

On the heels of the new alcohol delivery law, the Alabama Senate approved HB437, a bill that allows certain wine producers to ship wine directly to customers in the state. A customer can order up to 12 cases of wine a year. Sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, the bill passed 27-0 in the Senate. The House later in the day accepted the Senate changes to the bill 88-5. 

Alabama is one of the last states in the nation that prohibits the sale of wine by mail. The new law only allows producers to ship directly to customers. Online retail outlets, such as Amazon will still be unable to ship their wines directly to Alabama residents.

Rep. Collins’ wine shipment legislation now goes to Governor Ivey for her signature.

WineView Headquarters

Coincidentally, during the same week the wine shipment bill passed, WineView, an early-stage, wine-focused tech startup, announced it will  locate its headquarters in the Magic City. Assisting in their decision was Birmingham Bound, a local initiative whose mission is to build up the tech ecosystem in Birmingham.

What exactly is WineView? According to a recent  Birmingham Bound feature story about the company, it is a startup building an innovative augmented reality app that helps users shop for and quickly choose the perfect wine on shelves and restaurant tables.

Here is what WineView cofounder Gary Campbell had to say about his company’s choice to settle here in Birmingham. 

“I wasn’t sure what to expect coming to Birmingham, and to be completely honest, I didn’t know what I would find in terms of the tech ecosystem,” Campbell said. “However, from the first trip with Birmingham Bound, I knew there was an opportunity to grow a really cool company in this community. I see Birmingham’s tech scene like Atlanta’s was five years ago, and I think there is so much growth potential here. I love the collaborative vibe and I believe that will be a catalyst for future growth.”

What a nice addition to Birmingham’s growing portfolio of tech startups. WineView is opening an office in the coming months and staffing up. We look forward to seeing them grow and take off right here in the Magic City. 

A Good Day for Wine Lovers

Overall, this has been a good week for wine lovers. Can’t wait to see what’s next.