Legislation to allow wine and spirits at grocery stores likely to return in 2010

An effort to change state law so grocery stores can sell wine in wet and "moist" counties will probably come up again in the 2010 Kentucky legislature.

Currently, in Kentucky counties where alcohol sales are allowed, beer — but not wine or spirits — can be sold in grocery stores.

A bill to change the law died in committee during the 2008 legislative session.

Grocery stores can get a license to sell wine and liquor if they provide a separate entrance to that part of the store, where minors are not allowed to work. A store employee of legal age also is required to conduct beer sales.

The Food with Wine Coalition, a not-for-profit organization organized in 2007, said a change in the law could increase the sales and exposure of Kentucky wines across the state.

"With 300 additional sales outlets for wine, there's no question that wine sales will go up," said Luke B. Schmidt, president of the coalition. "Our most recent number indicated that over five years, the economic impact would be about $85 million."

The idea is a slam dunk for Logan Leet of Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery in Anderson County.

"You can buy beer at the grocery store. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to buy wine," Leet said.

But Andre Brousseau of Chateau du Vieux Corbeau in Danville wonders what kind of shelf space groceries would devote to Kentucky wines.

"If they wanted Kentucky wine, they would have Kentucky wine now" in the "satellite" stores next to grocery stores, Brousseau said. "Why aren't they calling me now?"

He said a few Kroger satellite stores do sell his wine, but he questions the grocery industry's commitment to Kentucky wines.

"I'm afraid what they want is Yellow Tail (a popular imported Australian wine) and all the out-of-state wines," Brousseau said. "I've said, if they would go to the state legislature and say, 'We want to restrict this to Kentucky wines in our stores in Kentucky,' I would jump up and down. But I'm afraid the Kentucky wineries are going to get shut out and they're going to bring in all the wines that sell the best. And from a business standpoint, that is perfectly understandable."

Leet, however, said he has "no problem competing for shelf space."

"It's my view that if you can't compete to be on the shelf, then you probably shouldn't be on the shelf," Leet said.