State rules guide
New York wine shipping & label registration basics
What an out-of-state winery needs to ship wine directly to consumers in New York, and whether New York requires label or brand registration. Regulator: New York State Liquor Authority (SLA).
Summary
Key facts
- DTC license for out-of-state wineries
- Out-of-State Direct Shipper’s License
- Law
- Alcoholic Beverage Control Law §79-c (wine)
- Fee
- $375; the application form describes it as a 3-year license
- Reciprocity
- Your home state must give New York wineries similar shipping privileges
- Volume limit
- 36 cases (9 liters or less each) per resident per calendar year (confirm the current limit in §79-c)
- Brand label registration
- Not required for wine over 7% ABV. Required for wine at 7% or less, wine products and wine specialties ($150 per application for 3/1/2026–2/29/2027).
Direct-to-consumer shipping: getting the permit
Out-of-state wineries can ship their own wine to New York residents with an Out-of-State Direct Shipper’s License, if their home state gives New York wineries similar shipping privileges. A separate license is needed for each type of alcohol. To apply:
- Register first with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance as a sales tax vendor (Certificate of Authority) and as a distributor of alcoholic beverages.
- Complete the SLA application. The name must match your TTB basic permit and your state license. Handwritten applications aren’t accepted.
- Include a check or money order for $375.
After you’re permitted: ongoing rules
- Sell only wine you produce, to buyers 21 or older, for personal use. Require proof of age and confirmation that the purchase is for personal use.
- Label shipping containers: “CONTAINS ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES / SIGNATURE OF PERSON AGE 21 OR OLDER REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY / NOT FOR RESALE.”
- File New York sales tax and alcoholic beverage tax returns as registered.
- Use only common carriers holding an SLA trucking permit. The carrier must check photo ID showing the recipient is 21 or older and get a signed acknowledgement of receipt.
- Keep records of every shipment (purchaser, date, carrier, quantity, value) for at least three years.
- Stay within the annual per-resident volume limit.
Label and brand registration
New York requires brand label registration for liquor, beer, wine products and wine specialties, and for wine at 7% alcohol or less. Wine over 7% doesn’t need registration, but sales through New York wholesalers need an appointment letter and the federal label approvals. Registrations go to the SLA’s Brand Label Permit Unit with a complete set of labels, a lab analysis from a TTB-certified laboratory (for registered categories), and the fee. The fee steps down over a three-year registration window: $150, $100 or $50 depending on when you apply.
How Vintners Desk can help
We prepare the NY application from your intake ($239 for the first state, $199 for each additional state in the same order), list the tax registrations you need, submit, and add renewal and reporting dates to your calendar. State fees are paid by you to the state.
- The exact annual case limit in ABC Law §79-c.
- Whether the $375 fee covers the full 3-year term.
- The SLA reciprocity list (it included California, Oregon, Texas and Washington when we checked on Oct 23, 2026).