Winery bill heads for Senate

HARTFORD -- The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to allow farm wineries to extend their hours of operation to hold events and sell their products.

The bill, which passed 139-1 after a brief debate, moves to the Senate. Rep. Jim Shapiro, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the General Law Committee, said that allowing the wineries to stay open until 9 p.m., like package stores, makes sense.

Farm wineries generally produce 85 percent of their wine in-state and there are regulations on wine tastings and other events, Shapiro said.

The request for the bill came from the Connecticut Vineyard Wine Association, according to its president, Jamie Jones of Jones Winery in Shelton.

Jones opened the winery at the Jones Family Farm on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Shelton five years ago. His family owns and runs both the Jones Family Farm and the Shelton Family Farm in White Hills.

Several years ago, the state Legislature granted liquor stores the option of remaining open until 9 p.m., and wineries decided they wanted the same accommodation, Jones said.

"The members felt that having to close at 8 p.m. hindered their ability to have events that went into the evening," he said, such as wine tastings, fundraisers and weddings.

"We thought it would be nice if we were able to keep serving wine until 9 p.m. to generate the flexibility to host evening events," Jones said, especially in the summer, when it can stay light past 8 p.m.

While it wasn't an issue for himself personally, it was for some of the other 19 members of the association, Jones said.

"For certain wineries, it is very important," he said. "Personally we don't do many evening events so it doesn't impact me as much, but it gives us greater leeway in the future so I can look at this as a positive thing."