“It’s time for Kentucky to join the other 34 states by passing this legislation and provide a positive benefit to its citizens.”
-Luke Schmidt, Food with Wine Coalition
However, what they don’t tell you:
- Nineteen of those 34 states that permit wine in grocery stores are “control states” where the state is the wholesaler and/or retailer. Border states Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia are “control states”.
- Of those 34 states, at least 19 states have allowed wine in grocery stores since the end of prohibition - when initial rules for alcohol sales were established.
- Several of the states only allow state wines or small farm wines to be sold in groceries.
- The remaining 16 states are saying “NO” to changing rules because they know that families invested their life savings in their package business under a set of rules that have been in place for 75 years.
- Recent attempts in Massachusetts, Colorado, Minnesota, and Tennessee to allow wine in groceries have been defeated. They have made multiple attempts in these states and each time was defeated.
- Not a single state has passed a law like this in 23 years.
- Numerous other countries, including England and Ireland are currently reviewing their policies allowing wine in groceries because they believe it is the reason for out-of-control underage and binge drinking. They have commended the states in the U.S. that require alcohol to be sold by package stores.
- Sixteen states is not exactly an insignificant number; it represents one-third of the country.
