Last week, the Pennsylvania Legislature began debate concerning a U.S. Supreme Court decision that would, for the first time, allow residents and students to have out-of-state wine delivered to their homes.

Pennsylvania, along with 23 other states, allows residential wineries to ship directly to out-of-state customers but does not allow out-of-state wineries to ship directly to Pennsylvania customers. The Supreme Court ruling in May found the current law unconstitutional.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly heard last week from different industry experts, some of whom argued that an increase in direct sales could also increase underage drinking, according to an Associated Press article.

Gene Proch, manager of Boalsburg's Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery, said he doesn't think there would be an increase in underage drinking because wineries and their shippers both take the necessary measures to prevent people under 21 from buying their product.

"When someone calls in their order, we make sure that someone over 21 will be there to receive the package," Proch said. "The shipment is processed as an 'adult signature required,' so the shipper will in fact do that validation."

While the Pennsylvania ruling is pending, New York, Connecticut and Ohio have all loosened their restrictions on out-of-state direct wine sales.

The General Assembly must now decide whether it will allow a free flow of direct wine sales in and out of the state, or simply eliminate the practice altogether.

Proch said that if direct shipping is allowed, it could have a positive effect on the winery.

"We have customers spread out across the United States," he said. "When Penn State alumni come back, they find us and like our wines and would want us to ship our wines to their homes."

Peter Yersin, an instructor for Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management 411 (Beverage Management and Wines), said Pennsylvania consumers would also benefit from interstate shipping because they would be able to directly buy wines made from grapes that can't be grown in the northeastern United States.

"Because California is able to grow virtually all the grape varieties available in the world, they are a leader in wine production," he said. "The climate in the northeastern states limits the amount of European varieties that can grow successfully."

Joe Carroll, a former professor at the Smeal College of Business and current owner of Mt. Nittany Vineyard and Winery, said he doesn't think there will be any significant impact on the industry, no matter what the state Legislature decides.

"I think people are already getting their wine from the state liquor store system," he said. "We're right in the middle of the state, maybe if we were on the border it would make a difference."

Rodolphe Boulanger is president of The Wine Messenger in Long Neck, N.Y., a company that ships wines from small wineries around the world to customers in the United States. He said companies like his would benefit, not suffer, from the Supreme Court's decision.

"There is a lot of buzz out there that now it's easier to ship wines," he said. "People are actually more receptive to buying wines on our Internet catalog."

Yersin said he thinks Pennsylvania will be one of the last states to allow interstate shipping of wine because it relies heavily on taxes and revenue from instate wine sales.