Gov. signs bill loosening Ind. rules on wine sales

Indiana residents will have an easier time having wine shipped to their homes under a new law approved by Gov. Mike Pence.

Current law requires a consumer to first visit a winery for a face-to-face transaction, which ensures that the buyer is at least 21 years old, before wine can be shipped to the consumer.

Pence signed a bill Monday that will eliminate that requirement, but buyers still will have to provide a copy of a government-issued ID to confirm they're of legal age.

Supporters of the change say it will boost Indiana wineries and give wine consumers more choices.

State lawmakers in April approved the bill, which takes effect in July.

Sponsors say 41 other states currently have similar rules on wine shipments. But a few of those states, including Ohio and Kentucky, place limits on such shipments.

Kentucky bans shipments to dry counties and limits shipments to other counties to wineries that make less than 50,000 gallons of wine a year. Ohio allows shipments of no more than 24 cases to be shipped to homes from wineries making no more than 250,000 gallons of wine annually.