KY group pushes for wine sales (Hopkinsville) Kentucky New Era

A group of Kentucky grocers is surging forward with its effort to bring wine to shelves in grocery stores by early next year. The Food with Wine Coalition launched an online petition last month and is hoping to introduce a bill to the General Assembly in January that would allow the sale of wine in all the state’s grocery stores. The legislation would only affect counties where alcohol is already sold.

Article originally posted by the (Hopkinsville) Kentucky New Era directed to: http://www.kentuckynewera.com/multimedia/video/news/article_37cb2492-2bff-52e8-99ae-2be1dbe0546b.html

Posted: Saturday, October 3, 2009 12:00 am | Updated: 4:46 pm, Tue May 18, 2010.

By Kevin Hoffman, New Era Staff Writer

A group of Kentucky grocers is surging forward with its effort to bring wine to shelves in grocery stores by early next year.

The Food with Wine Coalition launched an online petition last month and is hoping to introduce a bill to the General Assembly in January that would allow the sale of wine in all the state’s grocery stores. The legislation would only affect counties where alcohol is already sold.

“We fully respect people’s decision to drink or not to drink, that’s not what this is about,” said Luke Schmidt, president of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, which is representing the Coalition. “It’s about making the sale of wine more competitive.”

Wine is now the second fastest growing product category in food stores behind bottled water, according to a news release from the Food with Wine Coalition. The group has received support from the Kentucky Grocers Association and 56,000 signatures were collected on a petition in 2007.

Kentucky is one of just 16 states in the nation that doesn’t allow the sale of wine in grocery stores. Information provided to the General Assembly two years ago show the planted acreage at vineyards across the state increased from 68 acres in 1999 to 706 in 2007. The number of wineries also grew from five to 44 over the same time period.

The Coalition estimates state wine sales would grow by nearly 6 percent and at least $38.5 million in tax revenue would be generated — similar to figures in other states that approved wine sales.

Schmidt said the legislation also could have a significant impact on the revenue during the FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be held in Lexington next year. The group is expecting around 700,000 visitors from around the world during the two-week event.

Kevin Hoffman can be reached at 270-887-3240 or khoffman@kentuckynewera.com.