Wine subscription bill advances in Senate; increases selection of wine
Feb 26, 2020, 9:32 AM
A bill that would allow Utah residents to subscribe to wine clubs, increasing the selection of wine they can purchase, passed its Senate committee Tuesday and will advance. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A bill allowing residents to have a wine subscription to clubs that sell wine not available in the state passed the Senate Business and Labor Committee Tuesday with a unanimous vote.
The step toward a wine subscription
The Wine Subscription Amendments bill, S.B. 103, would allow consumers to pick up these orders at Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) locations around the state. That way, lawmakers hope to prevent direct consumer sales and the potential of underage drinking.
This requirement also accommodates current state law requiring all liquor goes through the state DABC before being sold.
The bill would require wine subscription businesses to register with the DABC in order to distribute wine to consumers across the state. It would give the department rulemaking authority, while making technical and conforming changes to previous legislation.
Under current law, purchasing a type of wine that is unavailable at the Utah State Liquor Store, a consumer would need to purchase an entire case of the wine — rather than a single bottle. But with a wine subscription under S.B. 103, consumers can purchase from a greater selection of wine by allowing to bring wine clubs into the state.
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