Victory was sweet as a sauterne last May for the lawyers who persuaded the Supreme Court to tear down trade barriers that prevented the interstate shipment of wines direct to consumers.

By a 5-4 vote the Court ruled in Granholm v. Heald that state prohibitions against direct sales by out-of-state wineries violated the commerce clause — a triumph that capped a six-year battle waged by small wine makers and their elite legal team.