The Oregonian finds outdated state laws can impact local businesses

An employee at A to Z Wineworks, puts finishing touches on a case of 2011 Oregon pinot noir before it is shipped out.

Harry Esteve of The Oregonian heard many business owners selling liquor complain about the state’s liquor law. Washington state also had recently ended its monopoly on liquor sales.

Being new on his beat covering the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, Harry decided to delve into the story. He writes:

“To get to the crowded tables at Mingo or any other Oregon restaurant, tavern or dinner table, a bottle of wine, beer or liquor undergoes some astonishing side trips. That A to Z pinot, for example, was bottled near Newberg, shipped to a huge storage warehouse in Salem so it could be taxed by the state, then, under Oregon’s distribution rules, schlepped back north to a Portland wholesaler who eventually sold it to Mingo. What could be a 24-mile jaunt from winery to bar turns into an 80-mile journey for the bottle.”

An illustration showing the costs involved in a $20 bottle of wine accompanies the story.

To dig into the law enacted 80 years ago meant determining the original problem that led to the law, he says. He talked with lobbyists and lawmakers who’ve been around for a while. He also sought sources through committee chairpersons, who he says know about key players, tensions involved and history.

Harry also benefited from research many business owners had done as well as bloggers who write about the topic frequently, he says.

Looking into obscure or antiquated laws could generate some story ideas. The New York Post recently wrote about laws applying to small businesses.

The Los Angeles Times recently did a blog post on bills signed by the governor. Among them was a law that now allows celebrities to sign wine bottle at liquor stores – an issue that affected celebrities who own vineyards. The Gloucester County Times wrote about a law that eliminated some restrictions on microbreweries.