Today’s Sunbeam – Dozens of New Jersey vineyard owners gathered in Trenton until late Monday night awaiting the Assembly’s vote on a bill that would allow small wineries both in-state and out-of-state to operate shipping outlets in New Jersey.
“I think the vote by the Assembly was at 11:07 p.m. and then it had to go to the Senate because there were some amendments made,” said Bill Heritage, who owns Heritage Vineyards in Harrison Township with his wife, Penni. “It was 11:30 before it all came to an end, and it passed in both houses. There were about 30 to 40 wineries in attendance, and we all hung out in the gallery until it was finished. It’s an important bill.”
Those gathered had some concerns that the bill would not have enough support in the Assembly. Ultimately, it was passed 51 to 18 with four abstentions in the Assembly and 24 to 9 in the Senate.
If signed by the governor, the bill will allow direct shipping of wine to New Jersey residents from small wineries and remedy a federal appellate court decision from last December which found retail outlets and tasting rooms operated by state wineries to be unconstitutional.
“It shows the support they have for the state,” said Heritage of the Legislature’s decision. “This bill will increase the reputation of the state of New Jersey, let new wineries begin operations and let existing wineries grow, expand and become a bigger attraction. They got it. They now realize what we can do through agritourism and what potential this has for New Jersey.”
Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-3 of West Deptford, sponsored the legislation in the Senate and was thrilled with Monday night’s result.
“It was an unbelievable task,” said Sweeney. “The opposition to that bill was overwhelming, but we were successful. We’re very excited to see our wineries expand by leaps and bounds. And I think, in the next 20 years, we’ll see them becoming top three in the nation.”
Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-3 of Paulsboro, who sponsored the Assembly bill, said he was pleased with the final vote and that the effort to get that vote took a “great deal of coordination among leadership in the assembly, Senate President Sweeney and the Republican caucus headed by [Assembly Minority Leader] Alex DeCroce who passed away Monday night.”
Burzichelli said the final pieces of the bill — in the form of procedural amendments — were not brought to the floor until 10:20 p.m. Monday.
“We’re very pleased with the final number,” he said. “It sends a message of how important it is for our consumers to be able to participate in a global market and order wine from out of state if they wish. Consumers should have that choice. It also helps the growing wine industry taking root in New Jersey, which is showing real promise.”
Burzichelli said when direct shipping came into play in state like Virginia and New York, the industry grew exponentially.
“Traditional distribution routes don’t work for these small wineries,” he said. “We wanted to underpin the agricultural industry and, on the farm side, this helps the agritourism component. Also, legalizing direct shipping will capture a great deal of revenue from the shipping that’s been happening illegally. It creates a sales tax revenue for the state. If we capture even 80 percent of the illegal stuff, we’re way ahead of the game.”
Burzichelli said it took a considerable amount of effort to get the bill passed because the entrenched liquor industry was not interested in change.
“But change is happening,” he said. “It was worth the time spent. It’s good public policy for the state.”
Assemblywoman Celeste Riley, D-3 of Bridgeton, who co-sponsored the bill in the Assembly, did not return a request for comment by deadline Tuesday. She did, however, issue a statement following the vote Monday night.
“Consumers can purchase just about anything these days through shipping,” said Riley on Monday night. “Wine, as long as it’s as carefully regulated as this bill would do, should be no different. Our current laws are holding our wine industry back and ensuring they remain less competitive with wineries in other states, and that must change for the better.”
Gov. Chris Christie has 10 days to sign the bill. If he doesn’t sign it in that time period, the bill dies and legislators must go back to square one. But Burzichelli said they are confident it will have his support.
For Scott Donnini, the owner of Auburn Road Vineyards in Pilesgrove, the bill’s passage was great news that was a long time coming.
“This is what we’ve been working for,” said Donnini. “It is an extremely fair bill, and I think that’s why it succeeded. It’s fair to wineries as well as the retail and wholesale industry, and I think it will make a much better, healthier alcohol industry in the state of New Jersey. It creates a more healthy relationship among all of us.”
Donnini said, in the process of creating the legislation, there was give and take on both political sides.
“It’s a great thing for the wine industry, not just in New Jersey, but in the whole country,” he said. “There is still a lot to do. The governor has to sign it and it needs to be deemed constitutional. Then we need to work with the ABC (Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control) to set regulations, but we’re excited to work with them as well as our partners on the wholesale and retail side. This is a terrific first step.”
