Shipping alcohol across state lines is a tricky business, so you would expect that Amazon’s Wine Marketplace venture would continually be adding new, eligible locations – little by little.

And that’s exactly what’s happening. Today, Amazon has announced that they can now ship wine to four new states – New York, Michigan, Arizona, and Louisiana. That brings the total number of states where Amazon can ship wine to 20 (plus the District of Columbia) – Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

Amazon first launched their new Wine Marketplace back in November of 2012 with 12 states on board. Customers can browse wines from over 700 individual sellers across the country, offering over 5,000 individual wines.

The addition of these four new markets arrives at just the right time for Amazon (and the participating wineries).

“The holiday season is a busy time, and it’s a huge time saver for millions of customers to have access to thousands of high-quality wines while they’re shopping for that special gift on Amazon. We’re excited for our customers to be able to browse our vast selection of boutique and prestigious labels through the Amazon Wine store,” said Peter Faricy, vice president for Amazon Marketplace. “Our customers tell us they enjoy our wine-country selection and the convenience of finding detailed information in one place. We want to connect customers with wine sellers around the country and provide a destination where they can learn about and purchase wines directly from great wineries on Amazon.”

Who doesn’t need a drink (or 700) during the holidays?

Earlier this year, Amazon added Texas to the list of wine-producing states inside their marketplace.

If you’re wondering why your state isn’t able to get wine shipments via Amazon’s Wine Marketplace, well, here’s why:

When you order wine on Amazon.com, you’re ordering directly from a third-party wine seller. Each wine seller operates under its own set of permits and determines which states it will ship to.

Some states (like mine) do not allow for wine and other alcohol to be shipped directly from producer to consumer. It’s a dumb type of law, really, and it exists in way too many locations. For now, all you can do is call your local representation and get the slow wheels of congressional change a turnin’.

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