He's not whining about law changes

By: JEFF FRANK - Staff Writer | Tuesday, July 26, 2005 11:16 PM PDT ∞

Thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling and New York state law change, Leon Santoro, winemaker and general manager of Orfila Vineyards, can finally do something he's wanted to do throughout his 27 years in the wine business ---- legally ship wine to his father and brother who live in New York.

Remarkably, thanks to the New York law that only allowed wine shipments within the state, the Escondido vintner couldn't legally ship his relatives wine, whether bought or as a birthday gift.

"This was supposed to be the United States of America, with free trade ... global trade. I bet you most Americans didn't know you can't ship wine legally to some other states. It's beyond logic," said Santoro.

The Supreme Court ruled the New York law unconstitutional in May, and the state passed a law allowing wine shipments from out of state earlier this month.

Santoro's pretty happy that he can now legally send wine as gifts to his dad and brother.

"Some people would go to the post office and send wine (in boxes labeled) as jams and jellies. For a while we sent a lot of 'books,' " Santoro said. "I sent (my dad) wine for Father's Day. It wasn't quite legal. For Thanksgiving, it will be legal."

Tour de Lance: He may not be local, but a tip of the cap to Lance Armstrong for ending his cycling career with his seventh straight Tour de France victory. That by itself is a monumental achievement, but doing it after coming back from cancer that almost killed him is almost beyond comprehension. Having fought that same fight, I know how far Armstrong had to travel just to regain regular physical capabilities. Taking it to the level he has defies reality. If someone created Armstrong's story as a novel, no one would believe it.

Around town: Historian and gold-mining authority Frank Lorey, featured in a story in Sunday's paper, will discuss local gold mines in an Escondido Historical Society lecture at 2 p.m. today at the Santa Fe Train Depot at Grape Day Park. ... A sharp-eyed reader pointed out a glitch in a Tuesday column item. Artist Joe Garcia did attend Escondido High School, but graduated from San Marcos High after that school opened. My apologies.

Quick books: Stan Levy, president of the Escondido Library board of trustees, lightened up his talk to the Escondido Kiwanis Club last week about the need for a new city library by reading a list of some of the world's shortest books. Among titles he presented: "America's Most Popular Lawyers," "Career Opportunities for History Majors" and "The Royal Family's Guide to Good Marriages."

Contact staff columnist Jeff Frank at (760) 740-5419 or jfrank@nctimes.com.