(Wine Searcher) Interstate retail could become a little easier after a landmark decision in a US court this week.

The looming Supreme Court wine showdown became more likely to have sweeping national impact on direct shipping, thanks to an important ruling this week by a federal appeals court in Illinois.

That case was brought by an Indiana wine shop, Lebamoff Enterprises, that wants to ship wines to clients in Illinois, which is against Illinois state law. Lebamoff lost initially when the federal district court dismissed the case without even hearing it.

But the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the case reopened Wednesday. Moreover, the wording of the appeal court's ruling appeared to suggest exactly what wine lovers in Illinois want to read: that states should not be able to discriminate against out-of-state retailers when writing their liquor laws.