The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act authorizes the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to issue a certified farmers’ market sales permit to a licensed winegrower, which authorizes the licensee, a member of the licensee’s family, or an employee of the licensee to sell wine at certified farmers’ market locations, as provided. The act places certain restrictions on the wine that the licensed winegrower may sell at a certified farmers’ market, including requiring the wine to be produced entirely from grapes or other agricultural products grown by the winegrower.

This bill would remove the requirement that the grapes or other agricultural products that produced the wine be grown by the winegrower.

Under existing law, the certified farmers’ market sales permit authorizes an instructional tasting event by the licensee on the subject of wine at a certified farmers’ market. Existing law prohibits more than one licensee from conducting an instructional tasting event during the operational hours of a certified farmers’ market.

This bill would increase the number of licensees allowed to conduct an instructional tasting event during the operational hours of a certified farmers’ market to 3.

Existing law requires the department to develop, implement, and administer a curriculum for a Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training program, as provided. Existing law requires an alcohol server to successfully complete an RBS training course and to obtain a certification of successful completion of that course, as demonstrated by the successful completion of an exam. Existing law applies the RBS training requirement to a person who serves alcoholic beverages for consumption, or a person who manages or supervises that person, on premises licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, including a designee for alcoholic beverage sales and service pursuant to a temporary license. Existing law requires a nonprofit organization that has obtained a temporary daily on-sale license or a temporary off-sale license from the department to designate a person or persons to receive RBS training before the event, and requires that designated person or persons to remain onsite for the duration of the event.

This bill would provide that instructional tastings under a certified farmers’ market sales permit are subject to the RBS training requirement.