Allowing direct shipment of wine to Pennsylvania consumers will not spark a teen movement to Merlot. But that's the argument that was made to state lawmakers by the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Association recently.

Because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding the direct shipment of wine to consumers, state lawmakers will have to address how Pennsylvania changes its laws, which now permit shipment to consumes by in-state wineries, but not by out-of-state producers.

Anyone in Pennsylvania interested in buying out-of-wines, meaning most wines, must go through the state store system.

Though there have improvements in terms of selection and convenience in recent years, state-controlled system is still not competitive and many smaller wineries, particularly top-ranked producers in California, Oregon, Washington and New York, are unable to sell their products to Pennsylvania consumers.

Wine and liquor sales in the United States is largely controlled by a three-tier system, involving wholesalers, distributors and retailers. But the Supreme Court's ruling in May might shake up that arrangement.

If direct shipment from wineries to consumers is permitted, the middlemen will be cut out, so they are fighting to stop direct shipment of wine. But direct shipment offers many benefits to consumers, notably selection and price.

The argument direct shipment will encourage underage drinking is a stretch, since most teenagers looking for illegal libation on a Friday night will continue to ask an older acquaintance or even a stranger to go to a bar or beer distributor for them. The idea that teenagers will order a case of Cabernet or Pinot Noir from California and have it shipped to their home is absurd.

State lawmakers should move toward relaxing the highly restrictive state laws governing the sale of wine in Pennsylvania.

The Supreme Court ruling will force many states to re-evaluate their current laws pertaining to the sale and distribution of wine. Pennsylvania's General Assembly should take the opportunity to update our laws so that this state no longer is the most restrictive in the nation.