Nashville will have chance to vote on wine referendum

WSMV Nashville
The Davidson County Election Commission announced today that enough verified signatures had been submitted to add the Wine in Grocery Stores ...(link)

Comment: I'll drink to that.

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Free-market Republicans are voting to set prices with new wine in grocery store bill.

In my view the new wine in grocery is a terribly flawed  bill. I have supported wine in grocery stores for so long that if I were serving in the state Senate, I would have probably voted for the bill anyway, if I thought that was all we could get. In casting any vote, one cannot look at only the merits of the bill in a vacuum but must ask, does this bill move in the right direction; is it better than what we have now?  And, is the the best we can get? I think this bill does move in the right direction. I think it is an improvement over the status quo. Is it the best we can get?

I am terrible disappointment that in our state legislature where Republicans have an overwhelming majority that this is as good of a bill as we could get.  Republicans claim to believe in a market economy, but in practice often do not vote any more pro free-market than Democrats.  I think we would eventually have wine in grocery stores, even if Democrats had the majority, and I cannot imagine that a bill passed by a Democrat majority would have been any worse.

I am pleased to see the Knoxville's Metro Pulse explain how bad the wine-in-grocery-stores bill really is for consumers and point out the hypocrisy of free-market Republicans voting for price controls. The worse part of the bill is the price fixing that requires a 20 percent markup over the wholesale price. Other bad provisions include a provision that gives nearby liquor stores a veto over a grocer selling wine until 2017 and the provision that allows liquor stores to start selling other products immediately but requires a two-years wait before consumers can get wine in grocery stores. 

If this is the absolute best we can get then the House should go ahead and pass it.  However, if  there is a chance of getting a better bill next year, I say put it off another year.

Below is the link to the Metro Pulse story: 
What About Consumers? You Can't Blame Liquor Lobbyists for Writing a Favorable Bill, but Legislators Need to Proof It

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Wine in Grocery Stoes close to passing but anti-competition price-fixing bills leaves bitter taste.

 Dear Red White and Food Members,

Yesterday was a great day for the wine in retail food stores campaign.

Members of the House Local Government Committee voted to pass the bill. The bill was amended during the committee meeting to be solely about the referendum to give communities that already allow liquor-by-the-drink and/or retail package stores the right to vote on wine sales.

The House State Government Committee also passed a bill, adding amendments during the meeting to include items that have been agreed on by retail food stores and liquor stores, such as liquor stores' ability to sell additional merchandise.

These are huge wins for Tennesseans, and we hope the momentum continues tomorrow as we turn our attention to the Senate.

The wine legislation will be put to a vote on the Senate floor tomorrow, Jan. 30. If you have not already done so, please take the time to email your senator and encourage him or her to vote YES on the wine in retail food stores bill. We cannot emphasize enough how important this is! Click the link below to easily draft and send an email to your senator.

Cheers!
The Red White and Food Team

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/link/target/tgcsa/MJWy94Fcb.aspx

My Comment: I am extremely pleased to us get this close to having wine in grocery stores.  While I hope it passes, this is not a perfect bill. In some ways, it is a very distasteful bill. It still bans Sunday wine sales. Why? You can buy beer on Sunday. Why not wine. I know why. It is politics. It is a deal to put together to get enough votes to get the bill passed. 

Another thing wrong with this bill is that it mandates a 20 percent markup over wholesale price.  What?  Yes, a retailer can not set his own price.  I am not sure how this will effect the big-box stores like Costco and Sam's Club that have their own supply chains rather than use local whole sellers.  Will they be required to use whole sellers? I don't know. If so, and they must have a 20% markup, then we will not get the benefit of lower prices.

Mandating a minimum price or a minimum markup is to protect some providers of a product or service from competition. That is wrong. Whether it is requiring Black Sedans to charge a $45 minimum for a fare or requiring a store to mark their wine up by 20% it is price-fixing and it is not to benefit the consumer but it is to screw the consumer to benefit the politically connected. My celebration of wine in groceries will be tempered by the anti-free market component of the bill which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

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A new deal is in the works for wine-in-grocery stores.7-11s and Wallmarts in; Sunday sales out.

A new deal is in the works for wine-in-grocery stores. It is an improvement over the previous version but still disappointing. It would allow convenience stores and big-box stores to sell wine. That is an improvement. Great! However it would prohibit grocery stores from selling wine on Sunday and from selling high gravity beer. What? Why must this be so complicated?  Why not just treat wine like beer? I know that to get enough votes to pass something that the liquor lobby has to be placated. Something is better than nothing however, so maybe this is as good as we can get and it is deal that the pro-wine legislators should take. I am glad that the supporters of wine held out to get convince stores and big-box stores included. I wish wine in grocery stores could be purchased on Sunday, but if giving up Sunday purchase is the compromise we must accept to get wine in stores, then accept it. At this point it is purely a political calculation and I am not the one counting the votes. If they can get wine on Sunday, hold out and keep trying. However 90% of a loaf is better than nothing. I would not let wine in grocery stores get killed for another year holding out for Sunday sales.

Here is the Tennesseean's report on the development: Lawmakers release new wine-in-grocery stores deal.

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Tell your legislators you don't support restricting retail food stores selling wine.

Dear Red White and Food Members,

Red White and Food believes that Tennesseans should be able to buy wine where they regularly shop for groceries.

Please contact your legislators today to let them know that you do not want so-called "big-box" stores, such as Walmart, Target and Costco, taken out of the proposed bill.

Cheers,
Red White and Food
www.redwhiteandfood.com
www.facebook.com/redwhiteandfood
https://twitter.com/redwhitefood

My comment: I would hate to see no bill permitting wine in groceries pass because we hold out to have the so-called "big-box" stores included, however protectionism is wrong and there is no reason Walmart should not also be permitted to sell wine. The big-box stores have some of the best deals on wine, in states where it is permitted. A lot of people do their grocery shopping at Walmart. Stores like Walmart, Target, and Costco should not be excluded. In my view, any store that can sell beer should be permitted to sell wine. Rod

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Deal near on wine in grocery stores, but no Two Buck Chuck or wine at 7-11.

Liquor, grocery lobbies ‘very close’ to deal (excluding big box lobbies)

By Eric Schelzig, Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After years of bitter legislative fights over efforts to allow Tennessee grocery stores to sell wine, groups representing liquor stores and supermarkets are nearing an agreement that would give the measure its best ever chances of becoming law.

David McMahan, a lobbyist for the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association, told The Associated Press that the two sides are “very, very close” on a deal that would allow cities and counties to vote on whether to allow wine sales in supermarkets. But the measure would maintain the current ban at convenience stores and big box retailers like Wal-Mart or Target.

“The real issue is whether or not that consumer deserves the convenience of being able to buy wine where they buy their groceries,” McMahan said. “And that’s what we’re interested in working on, and helping the Legislature find a solution to.” (link)

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Ketron Plans to Simplify Wine-in-Grocery-Stores Debate

Reposted from TNReport, 21 Nov 201, by Mark Todd Engler

The Tennessee Senate’s foremost advocate of loosening state restrictions on where wine can and cannot be sold wants to restart the discussion in a straightforward manner when the Legislature convenes in January.

Bill Ketron, a Republican from Murfreesboro, says the issue is no more complicated than this: Should local citizens decide?

He said it’s the same as letting local voters choose whether to permit liquor stores or allow liquor-by-the-drink.

To that end, Ketron said he’ll likely move to set aside any extraneous amendments now attached to a bill he’s sponsoring that grants locals the power through referendums to decide if grocery stores can sell wine. Senate Bill 837 has since last spring been aging in the chamber’s Calendar Committee where it awaits scheduling for a full-body vote when the Tennessee General Assembly reconvenes in January. As of mid-April, when the bill was last discussed before being shelved for the year, it’d picked up eight amendments through the Senate’s committee system.

Among the add-ons were stipulations on how the state will handle new tax revenues it collects through wine sales, descriptions of stores besides liquor retailers potentially eligible to sell wine, a loosening of regulations governing liquor-store ownership and an item-by-item listing of products in addition to booze that retail liquor outlets could in the future sell.

Ketron, the Senate’s Republican caucus chairman, told TNReport that stripping SB837 of amendment pulp will “get down to the nuts-and-bolts basics of that bill, which is to vote yes or no to allow people to have a referendum,” he said.

The “whole issue,” said Ketron, is the question of who decides. “It’s not about wine in grocery stores, but allowing the people to say they want to be able to vote.”
“If they want it, then they should be allowed to say that — for the same reason that retail stores are in place, through referendum in every community,” Ketron said. “And also, liquor-by-the-drink was by referendum. So that is how we got there on those two and this will be the third, wine in grocery stores.”

As to the extra items, some of which are conceived as trade-offs to help ease the transition for liquor stores, Ketron said he’ll advocate that lawmakers “decorate the Christmas tree on a second bill.”
Ketron said he’s pretty confident the “yes” votes are in place to pass a wine-in-groceries measure in both chambers of the Legislature, but the Senate is going to take the lead.

House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, have both indicated they support allowing wine in grocery stores. Last week Lt. Gov. Ramsey tweeted that he’s “looking forward to expanding consumer choice and spurring economic growth with the passage of wine-in-grocery stores.”

“This is the year,” predicted Ketron. “There seems to be a lot of excitement and demand is going up.”
Dan Haskell, a lobbyist for the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association, said he, too, is optimistic that political circumstances “bode well” for reform in 2014.

Advocates of loosening wine-sales restrictions have year after year seen their hopes drowned in sorrow. But Haskell said public opinion for wine in grocery stores is without a doubt surging, and politicians tend to know when to go with the flow.

“People often say that, historically in Tennessee, you don’t pass bills of this type during an election year,” said Haskell. “But for the first time, I think legislators are recognizing how popular this is with voters, and that an election year may be a better time to pass it.”

Haskell said numerous polls over the years have shown majority support for the wine-in-groceries cause. “Everybody pretty well understands that the populace is in favor of the idea,” he said.
If anything, voters “don’t understand why it isn’t already that way,” said Haskell, who used to be a lawyer for the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Nevertheless, liquor store owners, who oppose sharing any of the market they’ve been granted exclusive authority to serve, aren’t ready just yet to throw in the towel and start tossing back jiggers of hemlock.

Chip Christianson, a legislative affairs coordinator for the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association, suggested “the Senate is probably not the critical call on that legislation.” Indeed, the House was where the measure got buried in 2013, and where committee votes will likely be tight again in 2014.

“Our feeling on the referendum issue remains the same and it is very, very simple,” Christianson said. “The Legislature is in a better position to make a decision than the general public. It is a complicated issue with a lot of ramifications and a lot of unintended consequences. The Legislature was elected to make decisions like this for the public — and obviously we have a strong position on what we think that decision should be.”

Last year Vanderbilt University pollster John Greer suggested that opinion surveys tend to show “the public wants wine in grocery stores no matter how you frame the question.”

But Christianson doesn’t put much stock in polls. He asserts there’s in fact very little in the way of a passionate grassroots groundswell of demand for changing the status quo. There aren’t people camped out at the Capitol demonstrating in favor of wine in grocery stores, he observed.

And when the argument is offered that “independent Tennessee retailers” will suffer or may even have to shutter their storefronts “for the benefit of Kroger and Publix and WalMart,” some of that public support unquestionably falls away, he maintains.

“When you walk up and just ask somebody ‘Would you like to have wine in grocery stores?’ almost anybody would probably say yes,” Christianson said. “But if you sit down and explain the consequences and the ramifications of that occurring, then you still might have some people feeling that way, but it changes a lot of attitudes. And that is one of the reasons why it’s been so difficult for (supporters of wine in grocery stores). If it was so simple and so clear cut, the grocers should have gotten this passed years ago. But it is not simple and not clear cut. And the Legislature, in its wisdom, has not allowed it.”

As chance would have it, Kroger, Inc., which is headquartered in Cincinnati, was recently named “Retailer of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast magazine. A press release subsequently issued by Kroger led off with the words “Where’s the wine? You won’t find it in Tennessee.” That was followed by a call to legislative action from Rick Going, Kroger’s Nashville Division president.

“We are honored to receive recognition from the experts at Wine Enthusiast; we also can’t help but see the irony in the No. 1 retailer’s not being able to sell wine in our Tennessee stores,” Going’s statement read. “More than 70 percent of Tennesseans want to buy wine where they shop for food, and we couldn’t agree more. We hope the Tennessee General Assembly will pass legislation to give Tennessee consumers the right to vote on wine sales for their communities.”
Alex Harris contributed to this story.

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Good news! I thought wine-in-grocery-stores was dead for this session but it is still advancing.

Dear Red White and Food Members:
  
Last night the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee voted to pass the wine in retail food stores referendum bill. Read a statement from Jarron Springer, Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association president, about the outcome of the vote:

“We are glad to see the wine in retail food stores referendum bill regain its momentum in the Senate. The Finance, Ways and Means Committee’s passing the legislation today puts us another step closer to Tennesseans’ having the right to vote on where they buy wine in their communities.

“The adopted amendments on the bill will help create a level playing field for all parties, and we look forward to this bill’s being heard by the full Senate in next year’s legislative session.

“Again, I want to express my appreciation to Lt. Gov. Ramsey, Speaker Harwell, and our bill sponsors Sen. Ketron and Rep. Lundberg for their support and commitment to making this a comprehensive piece of legislation.

“We’re hearing from our customers that they’re still very excited by the possibility of voting on wine in retail food stores for their communities, and we believe this public support will lead to the bill’s eventual passage by the full Tennessee General Assembly.”

Please take a moment to thank the senators who voted to give their constituents, and other Tennesseans, the right to decide where they buy wine in their communities.

Below is a list of the legislators in the Senate committee and how they voted on the referendum bill. Please take a minute to call or email these senators who voted “yes,” as well as Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and thank them for looking out for Tennessee consumers.

• Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, lt.gov.ron.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-4524
• Voted “yes”:
      o Sen. Steven Dickerson, sen.steven.dickerson@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-6679
      o Sen. Ferrell Haile, sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-1999
      o Sen. Douglas Henry, sen.douglas.henry@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-3291
      o Sen. Bill Ketron, sen.bill.ketron@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-6853 *Sen. Ketron is the bill’s sponsor in the Senate.
      o Sen. Randy McNally, sen.randy.mcnally@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-6806
      o Sen. Mark Norris, sen.mark.norris@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-1967
      o Sen. Bo Watson, sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-3227
• Voted “no”:
      o Sen. Lowe Finney
      o Sen. Joey Hensley
      o Sen. Jim Kyle
      o Sen. Doug Overbey

Thank you for your support.

Cheers,
The Red White and Food Team

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Thanks to Speaker Harwell, wine in Grocery Stores moves forward.

Speaker Harwell's Vote Keeps Grocery Store Wine Bill Going

Channel 5, NASHVILLE, Tenn. - House Speaker Beth Harwell has rescued a bill to allow supermarket wine sales by casting the deciding vote in a subcommittee where the measure faced defeat. Harwell, a Nashville Republican, is allowed to cast a vote in any committee, but rarely does so. She sat in on the House Local Government Subcommittee on Wednesday.

The bill passed with a 5-4 vote and will now move on to full committee.  The Speaker's involvement angered some liquor store owners .....

 

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 Dear Red White and Food Members:

As we’re sure you’ve seen in our member communications and your local media, the wine in retail food stores legislation has passed the Senate State and Local Government Committee.

This is a great first step; but, remember, we have a long road ahead of us!

Next stop for the referendum bill in the Senate is the Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, March 5, at 8:30 a.m. CST.

We’re getting in touch with you because you live in the district of Sen. Douglas Henry, who is a member of this committee.

Please get in touch with Sen. Henry and let him know that you support wine in retail food stores and, especially, that you ask him to support your right to vote on this issue for your community.

Below are a few talking points for your phone call or to help you draft an email, as well as Sen. Henry’s contact information.

It’s very important to legislators that they hear from individuals in their districts, so please make sure to mention that you are a constituent!

• Sen. Henry, my name is ___________, and I am one of your constituents. I live in [COMMUNITY].
• I just wanted to let you know I am for wine sales in retail food stores, because [list a few reasons such as convenience or support of competition in business].
• Since this bill would allow communities like mine the opportunity to hold local referendums on the issue, I wanted to let you know that I value – and am asking you for – my right to decide.
• As you know, the Senate State and Local Government Committee passed the legislation.
• I know you are on the committee that will see the bill next, so I wanted to make sure to let you know that I support it and that I hope you will continue to allow this legislation to move forward to be heard by the full Senate.
• Please let Tennesseans vote on wine sales.
• Thanks for your time.

Sen. Douglas Henry: sen.douglas.henry@capitol.tn.gov, (615) 741-3291

Cheers,
The Red White and Food Team

P.S. If you’re interested in attending the Senate committee meeting on Tuesday, email us at info@redwhiteandfood.com for details.

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Wine Legislation Passes First Hurdle

From:

Dear Red White and Food Members:
 
Today the Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to pass legislation that would allow local referendums on the sale of wine in Tennessee’s retail food stores.

Read a statement from Jarron Springer, Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association president, about the outcome of today’s vote:

“This is a great day for Tennessee consumers. The Senate State and Local Government Committee has passed the wine in retail food stores bill, which is the first step in giving Tennesseans the right to vote on where they buy wine in their communities.

“Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey showed great leadership today to move this bill forward and continue the conversation of giving consumers the right to vote on this issue.

“As Sen. Bill Ketron, the sponsor of the legislation, stated before the vote today, we are open to working with retail package stores to draw up a bill that is amenable to all parties.

“Communities already approve liquor-by-the-drink and retail package stores by referendum, so having the same process for wine in retail food stores just makes sense. The fact that the Senate committee – the first group of legislators to vote on the bill this year – sees the value of placing local control in the hands of the voters makes us optimistic for the path of this legislation.

“We feel strongly that, if individuals are given the opportunity to vote on this issue, we will see wine on the shelves of Tennessee’s retail food stores.”

We are thankful for the majority support from the senators who voted to give constituents, and other Tennesseans, the right to decide where they buy wine in their communities.

Below is the list of legislators in the Senate committee and how they voted on the legislation. Please take a minute to call or email the legislators in the Senate committee who voted “yes,” as well as Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and thank them for looking out for Tennessee consumers.

• Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, (615) 741-4524, lt.gov.ron.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov
• Voted “yes”:
     o Sen. Janice Bowling, (615) 741-6694, sen.janice.bowling@capitol.tn.gov
     o Sen. Mark Green, (615) 741-2374, sen.mark.green@capitol.tn.gov
     o Sen. Jack Johnson, (615) 741-2495, sen.jack.johnson@capitol.tn.gov
     o Sen. Bill Ketron, (615) 741-6853, sen.bill.ketron@capitol.tn.gov
             *Sen. Ketron is the bill’s sponsor in the Senate.
     o Sen. Reginald Tate, (615) 741-2509, sen.reginald.tate@capitol.tn.gov
• Voted “no”:
     o Sen. Thelma Harper
     o Sen. Mark Norris
     o Sen. John Stevens
     o Sen. Ken Yager

We look forward to the upcoming challenges of the House Local Government Subcommittee vote. We will provide additional details about that meeting when they become available.

Thank you for your support.

Cheers,
The Red White and Food Team

My comment: YES! Cheers!

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Cops against grocery store wine

Police group opposes wine in grocery stores bill

The Tennessean, Jan 9, 2013 -A group of Tennessee police officers urged lawmakers not to embrace a proposal to let grocery stores sell wine, fortifying their position ahead of a renewed push for the bill this year in the state legislature.

Calling themselves Tennessee Law Enforcement for Strong Alcohol Laws, police chiefs, sheriffs and other officers from around the state held a press conference Wednesday to argue that changes to the state’s liquor laws could encourage binge drinking and divert police resources. (link)

A response  from:

Earlier today, a group of law enforcement officials held a news conference at Legislative Plaza to come out against the sale of wine in retail food stores. Their main argument was an increase in underage drinking, which studies have shown is not an effect of allowing wine in retail food stores in the 36 other states already allowing these sales.

Today’s conference is the first time in the five years the issue has been debated that law enforcement members have officially come out against the issue. We look forward to a continued discussion with them and representatives of the liquor stores about increasing Tennessee wine sales, and we look forward to Tennesseans’ having the opportunity to vote on it.

Below is a statement from Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association president Jarron Springer in response to the conference:

It is disappointing that the liquor retailers would hide behind law enforcement officials in an effort to keep Tennessee consumers from having a voice in the wine in retail food stores debate.

A vote by the legislature in favor of the proposed bill will not place wine in our stores. Passage would only allow local communities to decide through a referendum as to whether wine would be available at retail food stores.

We respect law enforcement and have worked closely with them on the issue of underage drinking. The issue of wine in retail food stores has been debated for five years, and the statements made today mark the first time that a group of law enforcement officials has officially come out against the measure. We can only take that as a sign that the liquor lobby is concerned about the possibility of the bill passing and led the effort to bring the group together this morning.

If law enforcement is concerned about increased access to alcoholic beverages, then surely they will be opposed to future referendums on liquor-by-the-drink and package store availability, which are also handled on the local level.

The statement that increased access to wine is a public safety issue has been proved false by numerous sources, including the FBI. Wine sales in retail food stores are not linked to drunk driving or underage drinking. A study issued in December 2011 by the American Association of Wine Economists and Cornell University showed that “states with higher rates of wine consumption as a share of total alcohol consumption have lower rates of traffic fatalities.”

In addition, states that allow the sale of wine in grocery stores had an average of 21.7 fewer youth liquor violations per 100,000 residents than did states without wine in grocery stores (FBI).

Tennessee’s retail food stores asked for and helped to pass the Responsible Vendor Law. Under this law, all customers purchasing alcohol at a retail food store must show proof of age. Liquor stores do not have to abide by the same requirements.

Again, retail food stores look forward to a healthy and civil legislative debate on the subject of wine in retail food stores and the bill to allow local referendums. Upward of 70 percent of Tennesseans want to purchase wine where they shop for food. We urge the Tennessee General Assembly to let Tennesseans vote on this issue.

My Comment: The argument by these law enforcement officers does not hold water. We now have beer in convenience markets and malt based "wine cooler."  Are we really to believe that having wine in convenience stores will increase illegal and irresponsible teen drinking? The same Responsible Vendor Law that now applies will still apply. 

Both the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor support wine in grocery stores and we have a Republican super majority in both chambers. There is no excuse for wine in grocery stores not passing this year.

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Dear Red White and Food supporters,

It’s been a great couple of days for the Red White and Food campaign. As you may have seen in the Associated Press story that came out Sunday, Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey have expressed their support for legislation to allow the sale of wine in retail food stores.

This story has shown up, not just in many statewide articles and TV broadcasts, but in media outlets as far away as Seattle! It was even on Bloomberg Businessweek’s website.

If you haven’t already, you can read The Tennessean’s article at http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20121202/NEWS21/121202013/Ron-Ramsey-Beth-Harwell-support-wine-sales-supermarkets?odyssey=nav|head. Also be sure to check out Tuesday’s Chattanooga Times Free Press editorial in support of wine in retail food stores: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/dec/04/chattanooga-its-time-to-allow-wine/.

We’re asking you to help continue this momentum: Please contact Speaker Harwell and Lt. Gov. Ramsey to thank them for their support of a bill that gives Tennesseans the opportunity to vote on wine in retail food stores. Just go to http://foodaction.net/tgcsa/default.aspx, fill in your contact information to personalize the messages and hit send.

Thanks for your continued support!

The Red White and Food Team

www.redwhiteandfood.com
www.facebook.com/redwhiteandfood
https://twitter.com/RedWhiteFood

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Ron Ramsey Beth Harwell support wine sales in supermarkets

Ron Ramsey Beth Harwell support wine sales in supermarkets | The ...
The top two Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly support allowing the sale of wine in supermarkets, and the influx of new GOP lawmakers is giving ...
www.tennessean.com/.../Ron-Ramsey-Beth-Harwell-support-w...

My Comment: Maybe, finally, we will get wine in grocery stores. It is about time. Let us start with wine in grocery stores, then completely revamp Tennessee's antiquated, price-fixing, protectionist, anti-competitive liquor and beer laws. 

Let liquor stores buy directly from producers rather than making them purchase from wholesalers, allow owners of a liquor store to own more than one store, reduce Tennessee's highest in the nation tax on breweries, allow wine tastings in liquor stores and grocery stores, permit liquor stores to sell corkscrews, and legalize consumer internet purchase of out-of-state wine directly from the winery delivered to your home by UPS. 

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Nashville Liberty

Will Tennessee soon be selling wine in grocery stores?

Drop by Mafiaoza's after work and drink some wine and ponder liberty and libations

Judge strikes Ky. ban on stores selling liquor

www.cbsnews.com

Judge strikes Ky. ban on stores selling liquor

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Speaker Harwell on wine-in-grocery stores

We can't buy wine in grocery stores. Maybe we really are under Sharia law and I didn't know it.

I wish the wine lobby was as powerful as the gun lobby. I would like to make an example out of someone.

It is past time that we stopped being a rural backwater and it is time we joined the civilized world and let people buy their wine where they buy their steak or fish.

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It is Time for Wine

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The 2012 legislative session is set to begin today, Jan. 10, and Red White and Food wants you to know that we are back and stronger than ever before. The 2012 Tennessee General Assembly will confront many issues this year. While liquor laws are not likely to be a priority, that does not mean that we have to back down from the progress we have made. Red White and Food is 26,000 members strong. Your participation has made an incredible difference in the success of our campaign to bring wine to Tennessee’s retail food stores.

Our plans for new legislation are still being finalized, but one thing is certain: State lawmakers must hear your voice this session. They will have to confront what many media outlets have already picked up on – the significant divide between their own opinions and those of their constituents. Just look at a 2011 poll conducted by Middle Tennessee State University that shows nearly 70 percent of Tennessee voters want to buy wine where they shop for food.

Since last session, both the House and Senate State and Local Government committees have undergone changes in leadership. Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville, now chairs the House State and Local Government Committee and Rep. Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville, chairs the subcommittee, while Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, has been appointed as vice chairman to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. These committees are extremely important to our efforts, so check out the RWF key legislators page to see if your legislator is among them. Here’s what you can do today to make a difference in this campaign:

• Spread the word. Tell three friends about Red White and Food and ask them to join our coalition.      
• Like our Facebook page.     
• Follow us on Twitter.    
• Read the most recent media coverage, including a column from The Tennessean’s Gail Kerr, News Channel 5’s report on how Voters May Decide Wine in Grocery Stores, and editorials from the Johnson City Press, Clarksville Leaf Chronicle and Chattanooga Times Free Press.  

We’ll be in touch in the weeks to come about our plans for the legislative session and to share details about our legislation when it is filed. And as always, we’ll be asking you to contact your legislators in support of this effort.

Here’s to a victory for wine and consumers in 2012.

Cheers,

The Red White and Food Team 

 Here’s to a victory for wine and consumers in 2012. I'll drink to that. Rod

 

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Watch your Money and Women. The State Legislature is Back in Town.

The legislature is back in session starting today. It promises to be a shorter than usual session. Issues will include creating jobs, education reform, redistricting, cutting taxes, the Hope Scholarship and wine.  This will be the first time since reconstruction that we have had the Governors Office, the House and the Senate all in the hands of Republicans. Hopefully some good legislation will be passed and hopefully this will be the year that the coalition of  liquor lobbyist  and puritans can be defeated and we can join the modern world and get wine in the grocery stores.

For a take on what others expect, see below:

Knox News Hemphrey on the Hill.
The Tennessean, TN lawmakers gear up for fast session, re-election
The Commercial Appeal, College funds, taxes top Tennessee legislature's agenda

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Drinking Wine in Turkey

I love wine. I like to drink it of course, but I also like reading wine labels, I like visiting wineries, and I like reading wine reviews. I keep reading Frank Southerland to see if he can top “dusty tomatoes stems” in describing the bouquet of a wine.

I have been a serious wine drinker for probably twenty years. When I say serious, I don’t mean expensive. Most of my wine purchases are in the low-end price range. I simply can not enjoy plunking down $40 for a bottle of wine. Did I tell you that I am frugal? Luckily I know a liquor store that carries discount wines. These wines must be close-outs or overstock. They always carry wine priced at three bottles for $10.99. They always have a good selection of wines like Crane Lake, or Hardy’s, or Cato Negro and several other decent wines at this price. Occasionally however I will find a wine from some obscure French AOC or a Chilean wine that is fantastic. They may only have one case of that wine and it may never be stocked again. To visit Colonial Liquors is like a treasure hunt. You never know what you may find.

For many years my wife and I took a vacation every year. Enjoying new wines was a major part of our vacation experience. There are local wines all over Europe that never get exported. They drink all they produce. On a Greek island, we fell in love with a wine that was grown and produced on that island only and the wine was cheaper than coffee.

One year we travelled to Turkey for out vacation. We had an absolutely wonderful time and fell in love with Turkey. Knowing Turkey was a Muslim country and knowing of the Muslim prohibition on alcohol, we did not expect to have much wine in Turkey. Our first evening in Istanbul, we went out to eat and were pleasantly surprised to find a wine list at the restaurant at which we ate. I assumed that Istanbul, being such an international and cosmopolitan city, tolerated wine but did not expect to find wine in the other parts of the county. Once leaving Istanbul, we did not fine wine served in restaurants in those cities that were not tourist destinations. We just accepted that we would be without wine for a few days.

It was in Iznik where I had another pleasant surprise. Iznik is a lovely town that is the center of the Turkish tile industry. Turkish tiles are a work of art and Iznik has been a major center of tile production for hundreds of years. We had a modestly priced room that had a balcony on the corner of the building and the balcony overlooked the main cross roads of the city. In our travels we were adventurous and we never planned our accommodations in advance. We were excited about finding such a great room. It looked down on a large tile fountain and there was a lot of people coming and going just three floors down.

We had not had wine in several days. I thought I would go explore the city that first night in town and see if, just by chance, I could find any wine. I did not expect to find any. We had not gone many blocks however until we came to an open storefront convenience market and there in a back corner of this little market was a whole shelf of various wines. We bought wine, cheese, bread and olives and went back to our balcony and drank wine had our picnic and watched the evening street activity below.

This story has a point: In Muslim Turkey in the small town of Iznik, I can buy wine in a convenience store. In Nashville, I can’t. It is time to chance that. For more information visit Red, White and Food.

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The first vote on wine in food stores is happening next Tuesday.

March 24, 2011

PLEASE ATTEND SCHEDULED VOTE

It’s four years in the making. The first vote on wine in food stores is happening next Tuesday.  

The Senate State & Local Government Committee is scheduled to hear testimony about wine sales in food stores and vote on our preferred bill, SB 0316. The committee meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. in LP12 at Legislative Plaza.  

This vote is a big deal—an affirmative vote gets the ball rolling through the rest of the legislature.  

We need to show the nine committee members how much consumer support there is for wine in food stores by filling the room with as many Red White and Food members as possible. If ever there was a time to show your support, that time is now.  

We’d love to see you at the hearing. If you work downtown, please consider taking an early lunch. Our bill is the first item on the agenda, so the vote should be over by 11 a.m. Here’s a Google Map for Legislative Plaza. Parking is available at the Sheraton on 7th and Union or other nearby lots. Please plan to arrive by 10 a.m.—a Red White and Food team member will be outside Legislative Plaza on the corner of 6th and Union and can direct you where to go.

WATCH THE HEARING LIVE

We understand that many of you have jobs or other commitments that make it difficult to attend in person. You can watch the live streaming video here starting at 10:30 CT Tuesday. In the left-hand column, click “State and Local Government.” If you can’t watch live, it should be archived on the site.   We’ll also tweet during the hearing, so follow @RedWhiteFood for updates.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

If the bill is voted out of committee, it will go to the full Senate for a vote. A House committee will also have to hear testimony and vote before it would go to the full House.  

If the bill is not voted out of committee, there’s still hope. Our sponsors have introduced other bills that would allow wine sales in food stores.  

We’ll send a follow-up e-mail after the vote to let you know what happened and what the next steps are.

IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU  

We’ve worked hard for this moment for four years. But none of this would be possible without the support of you and the thousands of Red White and Food members who have contacted legislators.  

Thanks for everything you’ve done so far—we’re getting so close to the day where we can buy a bottle of wine where we buy our food.  

STAY CONNECTED  

You can connect with us at any of the following:  

• Red White and Food website 
• Red White and Food blog 
• Facebook page
• Twitter 
• Delicious bookmarks (latest media stories)  

Don’t forget that you can also reach us by e-mail any time at info@redwhiteandfood.com.  

Thanks again for all your support.

A toast to success, Red White and Food Team

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