Shipping Policy
State laws controlling the shipment of mead & wine in the United States vary widely, so we have created this section to help you determine the restrictions and limitations that you may face in your state — in addition to our own policies and licensing as we grow our direct shipping program.
We are currently able to ship mead to the following locations:
We are currently waiting on license renewals from the following states & unable to immediately ship your order:
Is your state not listed above? Please visit one of our online retailers that ships out-of-state by clicking the links below:
Although we plan on adding more states in the coming months, there are certain states (and countries) that we cannot ship to — either because the jurisdiction in question doesn’t allow wine shipments from a licensed Michigan winery or because onerous licensing/registration fees will prevent us from doing so. If your state is not on the list above but you would like our mead shipped to your home or business, please let us know: james@schrammsmead.com. We will do our best to make it happen (and if we can’t, we’ll let you know which regulatory agency in your state to call in order to voice your displeasure).
Please note:
All prices are listed in US dollars.
All orders will include delivery charges and applicable sales tax.
You will receive an email confirming that your order was submitted. If your order is urgent, please call the meadery directly to assure proper and timely handling: 248-439-5000. Our first/primary method of communication about your order is via email. Please provide a valid and complete email address in your account & on your order.
We can not ship mead to P.O Boxes.
By placing an order, you authorize us to act on your behalf to engage a common carrier to deliver your order to your selected destination. You must be 21 years of age or older to buy wine. By placing your order with this meadery you certify under penalty of perjury that you and the recipient are at least 21 years of age. When the mead is delivered, the recipient will be required to show identification proving that he or she is at least 21 years of age and sign for the package.
Please have your valid government-issued photo ID ready at the time of delivery.
Effective 06/28/22 FedEx will introduce scanning technology that electronically captures the recipient’s first initial, last name, and automatically verifies that age requirements are met for shipments requiring an adult signature at delivery. The software does not record or store any other personal data (e.g., driver's license number, birthdate, home address, etc.)
Packaging & Shipping Information
We have chosen high-performance packaging materials and methods which will ensure the highest quality product possible reaches your door — and we’ve invested mightily in materials and software to help us maintain compliance with these quality standards during product transit. To achieve these lofty goals, we are fulfilling every order in-house (not through a third-party fulfillment house). We will be tracking mead shipments throughout the entire process using state-of-the-art data integrations and technology. You may be asked to participate in an internal audit of these processes, and we thank you in advance for your assistance in helping us maintain our very high standards.
We currently ship mostly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This helps our mead avoid weekends in locations without temperature control. Orders taken Thursday through Sunday will be shipped the following week. We will only ship our product via ground when the weather permits (exterior temperatures in transit and at destination between 20 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit). We will not ship product via ground in cases of extreme weather. In cases where ground shipping is not acceptable, we will offer expedited shipping and handling options if they are acceptable to our meadmaking team.
Please be sure to inspect your shipment ASAP after delivery — and contact us immediately at that time if there are any issues. After delivery, we recommend you place your mead into storage as quickly as possible — as close to a stable 55 degrees F and 50-80% humidity as you can manage. Schramm’s Mead assumes no liability for improper storage or secondary transport of your mead.
Order Tracking
Please contact info@schrammsmead.com for order tracking information if it hasn’t already been emailed to you.
Shipping & Handling Charges
Shipping & Handling charges are noted during the check-out process. The $3 fee for the Hold Program is an administrative fee, not the cost of shipping.
Multiple Delivery Attempts
If no one is available to receive the package and it can not be left with someone who is at least 21 years of age, two subsequent attempts to deliver will be made. We will do everything in our power to assist the carriers in making a successful delivery on the first attempt. However, if the carrier is unable to complete the delivery after three attempts, their policy is to hold the shipment for local pickup for 5 days, after which they will send the shipment back to us or to destroy it. Please ensure that a recipient 21+ years of age will be available at the "Ship-To" address on the day of delivery.
Mead orders require an adult signature, so whenever possible, we strongly encourage you to use a commercial business address to assure the fastest delivery time (usually during the work day, which is much better for the mead and more convenient on your end, as well).
Hold for (Fall / Spring) Mead Shipping Window
High temperatures in the summer are not conducive to shipping quality mead. For some destinations, winter temperatures will degrade the quality of mead shipped through 'Ground' shipping (e.g. by freezing). Therefore we offer an option for shipping orders at checkout called "Hold for (Fall / Spring) Mead Shipping Window" for $3 per order. This will allow you to place orders as bottles are released throughout the year without having to pay for expedited shipping in the summer and the dead of winter. Once the risk of temperature-related damage is past and we can use eco-friendly and cost efficient cardboard "pulp" shipping materials Ground shipping speeds will be available, and multiple orders can be bundled into one shipment to further save on shipping costs.
Hold orders can be held for up to 6 months. PLEASE REACH OUT TO US AT info@schrammsmead.com TO COORDINATE SHIPPING OF YOUR HOLD ORDERS WHEN YOU ARE READY FOR THEM TO SHIP. Customers who have purchased 12 or more bottles for hold / storage will receive free ground shipping during the fall or spring mead shipping window (when temperatures are 70 degrees F or below at the point of origin, in transit, and at the destination — and when danger of freezing has passed) within the continental United States. Customers who have ordered less than 12 bottles will be charged the current rate for their preferred shipping method via FedEx/UPS.
In the event you want or need your bottles sooner, you are able to convert to ship immediately and will be charged for shipping at that time - either expedited or ground depending on temperatures in your area. Just email info@schrammsmead to initiate this process.
If for whatever reason you decide you no longer want your bottles, or have not initiated the shipping of your held bottles within 6 months, you will be refunded in the form of a store credit less a 20% restocking fee. If you have any questions about the mead shipping program at Schramm's Mead, please reach out to james@schrammsmead.com or info@schrammsmead.com.
International Shipping
We are not currently shipping internationally.
FedEx Service Guarantee Suspensions
In order to balance their focus on service and safety, FedEx has suspended their money-back guarantee for all FedEx Express® and FedEx Ground® services until further notice. The FedEx Money-Back Guarantee for the FedEx Overnight® and FedEx Priority® services will also be suspended until Jan. 16, 2022: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/coronavirus.html
Please be aware of these changes as we move into the holiday season. Please allow extra time in transit for your packages (particularly for gift orders) as unexpected delays may occur that are completely outside of our control. If any issues arise with an order or shipment, please feel free to reach out to us directly at 248-439-5000 or info@schrammsmead.com. We will do everything in our power to get your shipment to you in a timely manner. We appreciate your understanding and patience with this issue.
Local Delivery Policy
Local Delivery is available as a shipping option to Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties. It is $15, or free for orders over $100. If Local Delivery is chosen and your order is outside our delivery area or does not qualify for free Local Delivery we will contact you via email to make necessary adjustments.
Policy for Mead Pickup
Mead bottles are available for curbside pick up at our meadery (914 Livernois St. Ferndale, MI 48220) by you or your designated Trustee only and will be held for up to 30 days. Orders not picked up within 30 days (60 days for Mazers) will be subject to a 20% restocking fee and will be refunded in the form of a store credit. You and your Trustee must be 21 years of age or older. Trustees must be registered users at store.schrammsmead.com.
Alabama Special Process Shipping
Alabama recently adjusted their policies to allow direct-to-consumer shipping of alcohol, however we are not currently licensed to ship directly to consumers. Alabama residents may place Special Orders of wine directly from the winery as long as it is for personal use only. Due to Alabama law, the wine must be shipped to the resident's local state-administered retail store. Please select your local store from this state-approved list:
https://alabcboard.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/Store%20Phone%20List.pdf
Alabama consumers are liable for all applicable state-level taxes to be paid at the ABC store upon pickup. The shipment must include a copy of the Alabama Personal Importation form, available here:
https://alabcboard.gov/sites/default/files/2017-09/DIAuthorization_form.pdf
For the "Shipper Point of Origin", please use: Schramm's Mead, info@schrammsmead.com, 914 Livernois St., Ferndale, MI, 48220, 248-439-5000. This paperwork must be filled out by the consumer and sent to us via email along with a photo I.D. indicating you are 21+ years of age before we are able to ship the wine. Due to the manual nature of this process, there is a 6-bottle minimum on all Alabama Special Orders. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out: james@schrammsmead.com
