With its purchase last month of Whole Foods, Amazon seemed to have suddenly gained the ability to sell – and deliver – wine in most of the 42 states with a Whole Foods grocery store. Amazon has thrashed small independent retailers in many fields, but a successful strategy for selling wine had always been elusive for it because each state's laws are different.

Now, that might not be the case, because for legal purposes Amazon is no longer a behemoth headquartered in Seattle – it's a grocery store in your town. If you can order food delivered from Whole Foods, you might be able to get wine from the store along with it.