Maryland lawmakers may not have been able to solve the state’s budget woes during this year’s session, but they did hand wine lovers another gift. A year after approving direct-to-consumer shipping from wineries, lawmakers approved a bill that will allow “corkage,” the practice of bringing your own wine to restaurants.
Governor Martin O’Malley (D) signed the bill into law on Tuesday, just a year after he signed legislation allowing wineries to ship bottles directly to Maryland residents without going through a wholesaler or retailer.
Allowing corkage will bring Maryland into line with the District of Columbia, which has allowed the practice for years, as well as Virginia, which legalized it last year (though implementation has been uneven).
The law contains three conditions, none of which should be restrictive, says Adam Borden, president of Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws, a lobbying group that fought hard for both direct shipping and corkage.
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