AN ACT CONCERNING FARM WINERY RETAIL SALES HOURS AND FREE WINE TASTINGS AT FARMERS' MARKETS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (f) of section 30-91 of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(f) The retail sale of wine and the tasting of free samples of wine by visitors and prospective retail customers of a permittee holding a manufacturer permit for a farm winery on the premises of such permittee shall be unlawful on [Sunday before eleven o'clock a.m. and after ten o'clock p.m. and on] any [other] day before ten o'clock a.m. and after ten o'clock p.m. Any town may, by vote of a town meeting or by ordinance, reduce the number of hours during which sales and the tasting of free samples of wine under this subsection shall be permissible.

Sec. 2. Subdivision (7) of subsection (e) of section 30-16 of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(7) A holder of a manufacturer permit for a farm winery may sell and offer free tastings of wine manufactured from such winery at a farmers' market, as defined in section 22-6r, that is operated as a nonprofit enterprise or association, provided such farmers' market invites such holder to sell wine at such farmers' market and such holder has a farmers' market wine sales permit issued by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of section 30-37o.

Statement of Purpose:

To extend farm winery Sunday sales hours from 11:00am to 10:00pm and to allow free wine tastings of farm wine at farmers' markets.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]