What's happening
This bill allows licensed retailers to conduct wine tastings on their premises and clarifies liability for such events.
Why it matters
Expands wine tasting privileges to more businesses. By explicitly including licensed retailers in addition to wineries, farm wineries, wholesalers, and importers, the bill broadens the types of businesses that can legally host wine tastings, potentially increasing opportunities for consumers to sample wines and for retailers to promote their selections.
Clarifies responsibility in case of incidents. The bill makes it clear that if a wine tasting is conducted by or under the supervision of a licensed retailer (or their agent), any legal liability for incidents at the tasting will fall on the retailer, aligning them with the responsibilities already held by wineries and wholesalers. This incentivizes retailers to follow safety and legal protocols during tastings.
May encourage economic activity and consumer education. Allowing retailers to host tastings can drive foot traffic to local stores, provide consumers with more chances to learn about different wines before purchasing, and potentially boost wine sales, benefiting both retailers and producers.
Establishes clear legal framework. By amending the law to mention retailers specifically, the bill removes ambiguity regarding whether retailers can legally hold tastings, reducing legal uncertainty for store owners considering such events.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Retailers Host Wine Tastings
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to economic development
- Referred to economic development
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
334
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Development
AN ACT to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to conducting wine tastings on licensed premises
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 80 of the alcoholic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 221 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
1. Except as otherwise provided for in this chapter, any person licensed to sell wine pursuant to this article, or section sixty-three [or], section seventy-nine or section one hundred five of this chapter, shall be permitted to conduct wine tastings only upon the licensed premises. Wine tastings which are conducted under the auspices of an official agent of a farm winery, winery, wholesaler, [or] importer, or retailer and where such agent is physically present at all times during the conduct of the tasting, then, in that event, any liability stemming from a right of action resulting from a wine tasting as authorized herein, and in accordance with the provisions of sections 11-100 and 11-101 of the general obligations law, shall accrue to the farm winery, winery, wholesaler, [or] importer, or retailer.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03897-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.