Can I ship wine, spirits or beer to consumers in Virginia?
Wine: out-of-state producers can ship direct to consumers. Wineries need a wine and beer shipper's license, which costs $230 a year plus a $195 application fee. Each person can receive up to 2 cases a month, and a case is up to 9 liters. You submit the list of brands you will ship, and wholesalers that carry those brands must be notified. Any fulfillment house you use must be registered with Virginia ABC. (Source: Code of Virginia, 4.1-209.1 (shipping), 4.1-231.1 (license fee) and 4.1-230 (application fee))
Spirits: out-of-state producers cannot ship direct to consumers. Virginia offers no direct shipping license for spirits. Virginia does not allow direct-to-consumer spirits shipping, and spirits are sold through Virginia ABC stores. (Source: Sovos ShipCompliant)
Beer: out-of-state producers can ship direct to consumers. Breweries need the same wine and beer shipper's license, which costs $230 a year plus a $195 application fee. Each person can receive up to 2 cases a month, and a case is any mix of packages totaling 288 ounces. You can ship only beer you produce or are authorized to sell, the brands must be registered with Virginia ABC, and you report each order with your monthly excise return. (Source: Code of Virginia, 4.1-209.1 (shipping), 4.1-231.1 (license fee) and 4.1-230 (application fee))
What makes Virginia different?
Virginia is more open than most states: producers can ship both wine and beer. The trade-off is reporting. Shippers file a monthly excise return with order-level detail, wholesalers that carry your brands must be notified, and every fulfillment warehouse in the chain must be registered with Virginia ABC. Spirits stay inside the state ABC store system.
What are Virginia's alcohol excise taxes?
- Wine: $1.51 per gallon ($0.40 per liter) (Tax Foundation)
- Beer: $0.26 per gallon (Tax Foundation)
- Spirits: Control state: the state sells spirits at wholesale, so taxes and markups are built into its pricing rather than set as one per-gallon rate (Federation of Tax Administrators)
Who regulates alcohol in Virginia?
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (Virginia ABC) issues licenses and enforces the state's alcohol rules. Check its site for current forms and fees before you apply.
How do brands reach Virginia customers with AccelPay?
AccelPay, now part of Vesper Commerce, routes each order from your website to a licensed retailer that can sell and ship it to the buyer, so those sales stay three-tier compliant without your own shipping license. The network covers 3,500+ licensed retail locations in 40+ states. Whether a retailer can fill orders for your products in Virginia depends on your products and distribution, so check coverage for your products on a call.
If you ship wine and beer to Virginia consumers yourself, under the rules above, AccelPay can route those orders back to you to fulfill and send every other order to licensed retailers. See Do I need ShipCompliant? for what shipping under your own permits involves.
Plans start at $1,000 setup + $500/month, 12-month term, no per-order charge to the brand, with discount pricing for craft brands. See pricing for what is included.
Frequently asked questions
Can wineries ship wine to Virginia consumers?
Yes. Wineries need a wine and beer shipper's license, which costs $230 a year plus a $195 application fee. Each person can receive up to 2 cases a month.
Can breweries ship beer to Virginia consumers?
Yes. Breweries need the same wine and beer shipper's license at the same cost, and each person can receive up to 2 cases a month, with a case defined as 288 ounces.
Can distilleries ship spirits to Virginia consumers?
No. Virginia sells spirits through Virginia ABC stores and does not allow direct shipping.
Does my fulfillment warehouse need to register in Virginia?
Yes. Any third-party fulfillment house that handles shipments to Virginia consumers must be registered with Virginia ABC, and shippers can use only registered warehouses.
Do I need to tell my Virginia wholesaler that I ship direct?
Yes. Your shipper license application lists every brand you will ship, and any wholesaler authorized to distribute those brands in Virginia must be notified that they will also be sold direct.
How can my brand reach Virginia customers without its own Virginia shipping license?
Sell through a licensed retailer that can serve the buyer. AccelPay routes each order from your website to a licensed retailer in its network; whether one can fill orders for your products in Virginia depends on your products and distribution, so check coverage on a call.
Related guides
- Do I need ShipCompliant to ship alcohol?
- How the three-tier system works
- AccelPay pricing and how it works
- Sell alcohol on Shopify
Sources
- Sovos ShipCompliant, wine rules by state (reviewed Jan 1, 2026)
- Sovos ShipCompliant, spirits rules by state (reviewed Jan 1, 2026)
- Sovos ShipCompliant, beer rules by state (reviewed Jan 1, 2026)
- Tax Foundation, wine taxes by state, Jan 2026
- Tax Foundation, beer taxes by state, Jan 2026
- Federation of Tax Administrators, distilled spirits tax rates, 2025
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the state agency or your compliance counsel. Last reviewed October 22, 2026.