Wine, beer sales at Gift Center mulled

 In the Legislative Gift Center, you can buy scarves from Port Hadlock, mustard from Pasco, games from Snohomish, chocolates from Spokane and wooden Capitol domes carved by Larry Miller of Olympia.

One thing that the lawmakers, tourists and lobbyists who frequent the shop will not find is Washington wine, although state wine production has been booming, particularly in Central Washington.

"We brought it up from literally nowhere to where we are now the second-largest quality wine producer in the United States. That's quite an accomplishment," Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, told fellow lawmakers in a recent hearing.

He sponsored House Bill 1415, which would allow the gift center to sell wine.

"Many people from all over the world come to our Legislature, to admire our Capitol building, and where we can show off our products," he said. "I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase our success."

Alcohol is prohibited on the Capitol Campus except for at permitted special events, such as the Inaugural Ball. And because the shop on the Capitol's first floor is overseen by Legislative Facilities, a nonpartisan government agency, its management is staunchly neutral on Hasegawa's bill.

But store manager Lexi Sandifer has in the past expressed concerns about a state store picking one Washington winery's products over another.

Hasegawa's bill would make it clear that the store is able to sell wine and would direct it to consult with the Washington Wine Commission in selecting which wines to carry. The measure was passed by the House 85-11 and is now moving through the Senate.

The only concerns raised in a hearing before the Senate commerce committee were those of the Washington Brewers Guild.

"Washington state is the number one hops producer in the world, so its beer should be represented in the legislative center as well as the wine," guild President Heather McClung said.

For now, at least, the bill seems to have good prospects.

"I love the idea," committee Chairwoman Jeanne Kohl-Welles said.

With or without the wine, interest in state-made items has been strong at the gift center, Sandifer said.

"I try to carry as much — and I keep bringing in as many new people — as I can," she said. "But there's only so much space."

The shop occupies about 600 square feet of sales space on the Capitol's first floor.