41° L/FOG, Wine by the glass?
Last Modified: Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.
The state’s wine tasting rooms, for years limited to offering visitors 1 ounce samples, can now serve visitors as much as they like.
Wines-by-the-glass or bottle can now be consumed at winery tasting rooms and picnic areas thanks to a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“It’s just plain silly that California law doesn’t allow picnickers to enjoy a glass of wine with their lunches in winery picnic grounds,” said Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, co-author of AB 2004.
The bill passed the Legislature with unanimous support, but it has its critics. Judy Williams, a 50-year Kenwood resident, said she’s worried people will overdo it. “It’s people drinking without a bartender,” Williams said.
How many wineries avail themselves of the new rights remains to be seen. Many are not equipped to offer wine-by-the-glass service. More are likely to allow bottles purchased in the tasting room to be consumed there.
“This bill is just common sense and will legalize what many people have been doing all along,” Evans said.
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