Tennessee

A winery must obtain a Direct Wine Shipper License and register to remit sales and excise taxes prior to making direct shipments to TN consumers. A new law that requires licensing and reporting by fulfillment houses and reporting of DTC shipment information by wineries will become effective on Jan. 1, 2022.

• Licensed direct shippers may ship a maximum of 1 case per month to a consumer and cannot send more than 3 cases to a consumer during a calendar year. Effective May 12, 2021, a winery direct shipper that produces less than 30,000 cases per calendar year may ship up to 6 cases per person per year.
• Applicants must pay a one-time non-refundable application fee of $300, in addition to the annual license fee of $150.
• Applicants must complete the Declaration of Citizenship (Form AB-0116) and provide proof of U.S. citizenship or legal presence in the United States.
• Effective May 20, 2011, the entire state is “wet” for direct shipping and there are NO restricted zip codes.
• Any shipment of wine pursuant to this section shall be made only in containers which clearly indicate on the exterior of the container, visible to a person at least three feet (3′) away, that the container “CONTAINS ALCOHOL: SIGNATURE OF PERSON AGE 21 OR OLDER REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY”.
• Shipping wine to consumers without a permit is classified as a felony in TN.
• A winery applying for a Direct Shipper License must submit executed copies of ALL contracts with common carriers.  An applicant using the services of a fulfillment house must provide to the Commission a copy of the contract between the applicant and the fulfillment center and the fulfillment center and the common carrier. Any updated or new contracts must be submitted with applications for renewal. After Jan. 1, 2022, only fulfillment houses licensed in TN may be used.