State-operated wine kiosks to be tested

Pairings of wine and food will be easier in the near future with the help of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Beginning in May or June, wine kiosks are expected to be placed in 100 supermarket locations across the state, according to Nick Hays of the PLCB press office.

Grove City County Market and the New Castle Giant Eagle are two of what could be more locations anticipating the installation of the wine kiosks. The PLCB placed classified ads to announce the consideration of this customer-friendly system, Hays said.

Then they placed ads to receive proposals from supermarkets that were interested in participating in the program.

"These supermarkets do not have to apply for and will not be granted liquor licenses for having a kiosk in their store," Hays said.

Hays described the kiosk as being "a state store within the grocery store."

To take advantage of the service, customers will insert their driver's license into the machine.

Through live video to the PLCB in Harrisburg, a PLCB agent will verify that the license is of a person over 21 and that the picture on the license is the same person who inserted the driver's license.

Then the customer will be asked to breathe toward a receptor to verify that the person does not have a blood alcohol level above 0.05.

Through the video feed, the agent will determine that the customer does not physically appear to be intoxicated.

"The system will insure that we do not sell to minors or to people who are intoxicated," Hays said. These are the same criteria used when purchasing alcohol in any state store, he added.

Payment will be with a credit or debit card only.

A system prototype will be tested to see if the verification process provides the agency the ability to identify the driver's license for age and visual identification and also test the breath analysis system to insure that the PLCB can receive accurate information.

Following the agency testing, two or three kiosks will open in the Harrisburg area to see how customers interact with the system.