Today the new Congress takes office, with the power shifting dramatically from one party to another. We’ve spent quite a bit of time on this blog discussing House Resolution 5034 (the CARE Act) and explained the possible ramifications of the last election on this bill. Alcohol in general is a deeply regulated item, not just at the federal but the state level. We are, after all, a country that maintains an entire federal agency and have two separate amendments to our Constitution related to the sale and legality of alcohol.

Here’s a look at some of the odder alcohol laws still on the books in many states. Some date back to the years before Prohibition, others are surprisingly recent…and many of them are still on the books!

• In New York state, it is illegal to ship wine and cheese in a single container. This means no gift baskets…although you can send the items to your recipient separately, and they can assemble the gift themselves!
• In Alaska, it is illegal to get a moose drunk; in Ohio it is illegal to get a fish drunk.
• In Oregon, before 2007, it was impossible to buy any wine labeled “Petite Sirah.” Oregon law dictated that any such wine was to be labeled “Durif”.
• Florida bans the sales of larger champagne bottles, such as the six-liter Methuselah.
• The sales of certain wines have been banned in states simply for their name or label. FAT Bastard wines were, for a time, banned in Texas or Ohio for its rude-sounding name, and Cycles Gladiator wine is banned in Alabama for the 1895 advertising image on its label, which depicts a nude nymph.

Many more laws relate specifically to beer sales, but if you’re a wine enthusiast and you’re traveling, it might be a good idea to take a quick look at the local regulations so you don’t end up looking at the ugly end of a fine!