Wine in Grocery Stores Poll – WETM

The following is a news release from N.Y.S. Senator Tom O’Mara:

Albany, N.Y., May 24—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R-C, Big Flats) is giving the residents of his 53rd Senate District the chance to weigh in on a long-debated question in the Legislature: should New York State allow grocery stores to sell wine?

  The first-term state senator, whose legislative district in the Finger Lakes is home to more wineries than any other state legislative district, recently introduced new legislation (S.5358/A.7659) to legalize the sale of wine in grocery stores.  It’s a move that he believes would give additional long-term strength to the Finger Lakes wine, grape growing and tourism industries and create more than 7,000 jobs statewide.

  .â€?This is an opportunity to create thousands of jobs, strengthen key upstate industries, and generate significant new revenue without raising taxes or borrowing,â€? said O’Mara.

  The legislation has bipartisan support and is sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Joe Morelle (D-Irondequoit).  O’Mara and Morelle sponsored a roundtable in Albany yesterday where legislators, winemakers, consumer advocates, liquor store owners, members of the food industry, representatives of the agricultural and tourism industries, and other statewide business leaders discussed the economic, fiscal, and consumer benefits of the measure.  Yesterday’s roundtable and additional details on O’Mara’s “Wine Industry and Liquor Store Development Actâ€? can currently be found on www.omara.nysenate.gov.

  A new online poll has also been posted on O’Mara’s website to give local residents the chance to share their opinions. To participate in the poll, go to www.omara.nysenate.gov and answer the following question on the home page: “Should New York State allow the sale of wine in grocery stores?â€?

  O’Mara’s 53rd Senate District comprised of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates counties, and part of Tompkins County (the city and town of Ithaca, and the towns of Enfield, Newfield, and Ulysses).

  At one time behind only California in terms of wine production, New York is now the nation’s third-largest wine producer.  The top two producers, California and Washington respectively, are among the 35 states that allow the sale of wine in grocery stores.

  According to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, New York’s 255 wineries annually produce 40 million gallons of wine and generate over $420 million in sales.  Approximately 950 grape growers produce 160,000 tons of grapes annually.  Overall the grape growing and wine industries account for more than 15,000 livelihoods in nearly every region of the state.

Article source: http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story/Wine-in-Grocery-Stores-Poll/FlNBa75z50ys_F8qnoVARg.cspx