Georgians may soon get to order their favorite Napa Valley sauvignon blanc or North Georgia red directly from the winery.

The Georgia House voted 126-8 Thursday to allow Georgians to order over the phone or Internet up to 12 cases per year of wine from a winery.

Senators said they expect the wine bill to pass their chamber, too, in large part because the powerful Georgia liquor industry has dropped its long-standing objections. Gov. Sonny Perdue generally doesn't comment on pending legislation so it's unclear if he'd sign the bill if it passes the General Assembly.

The measure's sponsor, Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), said direct shipping should be especially helpful to Georgia's small winery industry.

"Georgians overwhelmingly are asking for this," Stephens told House colleagues.

Steve Gibson, who heads Habersham Winery near Helen, called the legislation "very important" to the state's more than 20 wineries.

"Our primary customers are Georgia residents, and we haven't had the ability to ship to them," he said.

Smaller wineries often don't produce enough or haven't created enough of a market to get their wines placed in stores.

"They really have no good way of reaching a customer unless the customer can come to the winery, which is not practical many times," Gibson said. "This will allow those smaller wineries to ship directly to a customer who they have made contact with and who liked their product.

"It also gives customers the opportunity to get not only Georgia wines they haven't been able to find before but other, smaller boutique wines from other parts of the country."

Under current law, Georgians who visit a winery can ship up to five cases of wine home. But they can't order it from the comfort of their home.

Similarly, Georgia wineries can't ship wine to customers unless they show up at the winery to buy it.

Supporters say direct shipments to customers from the country's more than 4,000 wineries are legal in 37 states.

In the past, the state's liquor industry has opposed direct shipping, saying it would be tough for the state to collect taxes on sales and that the wine could wind up in the hands of minors.

Jim Beck, head of the Christian Coalition, which is fighting bills that would let voters legalize Sunday alcohol sales at stores, said he is concerned about the possibility of youngsters ordering wine over the Internet.

"We are absolutely convinced that [direct shipping] is a bad idea," Beck said.

But Beck said his organization will not vigorously fight the bill as long as the Senate makes sure there are safeguards aimed at preventing minors from getting wine.

Stephens noted that under the bill purchasers would have to prove they are at least 21, probably using online verification systems currently available. In addition, the businesses delivering the wine would have to get a signature and check identification.

Gibson said there is little evidence that direct shipping of wine has caused a problem with underage drinking in other states.

"How many teenagers want to buy a $30 bottle of wine and wait a week to get it, as opposed to going to their local store and getting $30 worth of beer and have a party with it?" he said. "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense."