What's happening
This bill expands the definition of wine to include products made from any agricultural products, not just fruits or plants.
Why it matters
Expanding the definition of "wine" to include any agricultural products (not just fruit or plants) could enable innovation and diversification in the wine industry, allowing producers to experiment with new ingredients and styles.
This change may create new opportunities for New York farmers, as a broader array of crops—beyond just grapes and fruits—could be used for wine production, potentially boosting demand for locally grown agricultural products.
The amendment to "New York state labelled wine" broadens what qualifies as a local product, which could impact consumer perceptions, marketing, and regulations around what is considered New York-produced wine.
By updating definitions, the bill could affect licensing, taxation, and regulatory compliance for wineries, potentially lowering barriers to entry for small-scale or non-traditional producers.
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Who cares
Wine producers
The bill would expand the definition of wine to cover fermentation of agricultural products beyond fruits or plants, while requiring descriptive prefixes for non-grape wines.
New York agricultural growers
The bill would allow agricultural products beyond grapes and other fruits to count toward the 75 percent New York-grown requirement for New York state labelled wine.
State Liquor Authority
The agency would administer revised definitions of wine and New York state labelled wine under the alcoholic beverage control law.
Headline styles
Broaden Wine Definition
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6180
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 21, 2019
Introduced by Sen. METZGER -- (at request of the State Liquor Authority) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations
AN ACT to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to the definition of wine
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 36 of section 3 of the alcoholic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 548 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
36. "Wine" means the product of the normal alcoholic fermentation of the juice of fresh, sound, ripe grapes, or other [fruits or plants] agricultural products with the usual cellar treatment and necessary additions to correct defects due to climatic, saccharine and seasonal conditions, including champagne, sparkling and fortified wine of an alcoholic content not to exceed twenty-four per centum by volume. Wine produced from fruits or plants or other agricultural products other than grapes shall include appropriate prefixes descriptive of the fruit or the product from which such wine was predominantly produced, and no other product shall be called "wine" unless designated as artificial or imitation wine.
§ 2. Subdivision 20-a of section 3 of the alcoholic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 571 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
20-a. "New York state labelled wine" means wine made from grapes or other [fruits] agricultural products, at least seventy-five percent the volume of which were grown in New York state.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09266-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to the definition of wine
Purpose
This bill would allow "wine" manufactured from other agricultural products in addition to "grapes, or other fruits or plants" to be manu- factured and sold as "wine" in New York State.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill would amend ABC Law § 3(36) to clarify that agri- cultural products other than grapes, fruits, or other plants may be utilized in the manufacture of "wine" in New York.
Section 2 of the bill would amend ABC Law § 3(20-a) to clarify that agricultural products other than grapes, fruits, or other plants may be utilized in the manufacture of "New York state labelled wine."
Section 3 of the bill would make it take effect immediately.
Justification
This amendment would for the first time allow "wine," and "New York labelled wine" to be manufactured with agricultural products other than grapes, fruits, or other plants to be sold as "wine" in New York. Wine manufacturers are becoming increasingly creative in their offerings to consumers. Non-traditional agricultural products such as honey, rice, and other products are gaining popularity as wines, but were previously not authorized to be manufactured or sold in New York due to the strict statutory definition of "wine," and "New York labelled wine" in the ABCL. This amendment will solve that oversight and help fuel the contin- ued growth of the craft beverage industry in New York.
Prior legislation
None.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.