NY Wineries oppose gov's plan on wine in grocery
New York: Wineries oppose governor's plan to see wine in supermarkets
Source: Oneida Daily Dispatch
Published: Monday, March 1, 2010
Wineries from Long Island to Western New York, and from the Hudson Valley to the Thousand Islands, have joined the fight to defeat Governor Paterson's plan to legalize the sale of wine in every grocery store, deli, mini-mart, gas station, and bodega in New York.
"This plan will only hurt our businesses and hurt our partners in the wine and liquor stores," said William Ouweleen of Eagle Crest Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. "Big box stores will stock the most popular, lowest-priced brands on their shelves, leaving little space for New York wines. In addition, wine stores around the state will be forced out of business - severely curtailing our ability to reach our customers. The Legislature must reject this job-killing plan immediately."
Nearly 100 wineries from every region in New York have joined forces with the Last Store on Main Street Coalition, which includes small business owners, independent wine sellers, and wholesalers from around the state fighting to stop the governor's proposal to legalize the sale of wine wherever beer is now sold.
The growing number of wineries in opposition to Paterson's plan represents approximately 35 percent of wineries in the state, with the majority of others remaining neutral on the issue. Last year, 75 wineries opposed the governor's defeated idea to sell wine in grocery stores, representing a nearly 25 percent increase in the state's wineries opposing the governor's plan this year.
Duncan Ross of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in the Niagara Escarpment, said, "As the owner of a New York winery, I am very concerned about the effect this legislation will have on the sale of New York wines, because it will disproportionately reduce the number of outlets for New York wine. While on the surface it appears that wine in grocery stores would benefit consumers and wineries, this is not the case. Selection of wine would be reduced and sales for wineries will suffer, and as a result the smaller wineries won't be able to grow into larger wineries."
Jeff Saunders, president of the Retailers Alliance and founder of the Last Store Coalition, said, "New York retailers deeply appreciate the support we have received from the wineries in this battle. New York wineries make great wines, and we are proud to promote them in our stores. We look forward to defeating Paterson's plan again this year and continuing the partnership with New York's wineries to make it even stronger in the years ahead."
In addition to the wineries, the Governor's proposal has sparked strong opposition from the law enforcement community, which fears that providing teenagers with greater access to alcohol will heighten the risk of underage drinking and fatal drunk driving accidents.
No state in more than 28 years has approved legislation legalizing the sale of wine in grocery stores, with Kentucky, Tennessee and Colorado joining New York in the last year in rejecting efforts by big box stores to take over this business. Massachusetts voters rejected the idea in a referendum in 2008.
Source: Oneida Daily Dispatch
Published: Monday, March 1, 2010
Wineries from Long Island to Western New York, and from the Hudson Valley to the Thousand Islands, have joined the fight to defeat Governor Paterson's plan to legalize the sale of wine in every grocery store, deli, mini-mart, gas station, and bodega in New York.
"This plan will only hurt our businesses and hurt our partners in the wine and liquor stores," said William Ouweleen of Eagle Crest Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. "Big box stores will stock the most popular, lowest-priced brands on their shelves, leaving little space for New York wines. In addition, wine stores around the state will be forced out of business - severely curtailing our ability to reach our customers. The Legislature must reject this job-killing plan immediately."
Nearly 100 wineries from every region in New York have joined forces with the Last Store on Main Street Coalition, which includes small business owners, independent wine sellers, and wholesalers from around the state fighting to stop the governor's proposal to legalize the sale of wine wherever beer is now sold.
The growing number of wineries in opposition to Paterson's plan represents approximately 35 percent of wineries in the state, with the majority of others remaining neutral on the issue. Last year, 75 wineries opposed the governor's defeated idea to sell wine in grocery stores, representing a nearly 25 percent increase in the state's wineries opposing the governor's plan this year.
Duncan Ross of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in the Niagara Escarpment, said, "As the owner of a New York winery, I am very concerned about the effect this legislation will have on the sale of New York wines, because it will disproportionately reduce the number of outlets for New York wine. While on the surface it appears that wine in grocery stores would benefit consumers and wineries, this is not the case. Selection of wine would be reduced and sales for wineries will suffer, and as a result the smaller wineries won't be able to grow into larger wineries."
Jeff Saunders, president of the Retailers Alliance and founder of the Last Store Coalition, said, "New York retailers deeply appreciate the support we have received from the wineries in this battle. New York wineries make great wines, and we are proud to promote them in our stores. We look forward to defeating Paterson's plan again this year and continuing the partnership with New York's wineries to make it even stronger in the years ahead."
In addition to the wineries, the Governor's proposal has sparked strong opposition from the law enforcement community, which fears that providing teenagers with greater access to alcohol will heighten the risk of underage drinking and fatal drunk driving accidents.
No state in more than 28 years has approved legislation legalizing the sale of wine in grocery stores, with Kentucky, Tennessee and Colorado joining New York in the last year in rejecting efforts by big box stores to take over this business. Massachusetts voters rejected the idea in a referendum in 2008.