Assembly passes wine-importing bill

"It's a free-the-grapes bill," Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, said as SB428 was approved and returned to the Senate for concurrence in lower house amendments.

The bill also helps Nevada wine wholesalers in dealing with out-of-state wineries by requiring a winery that ships 25 cases or more of wine a year into Nevada to designate a Nevada wholesaler to handle its products.

However, the Wine Institute, a trade association representing California wineries, favored SB428 because of the access to the Nevada market that it provides - even if wineries would be tied to a specific wholesaler.

A major chunk of the wholesaling business in Nevada is controlled by Luce & Son in Reno Nevada and Larry Ruvo of Southern Wine & Spirits in Las Vegas.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, introduced the bill, saying he wanted to get rid of an old law that prohibits importing more than one gallon a month into the state.

Schneider said that if he brought more wine than that back from California he would be guilty of a low-level felony - violating an old, "stupid" law that prohibits importing more than one gallon a month into Nevada.

Harvey Whittemore, who represents wine distributors and is a partner with Ruvo in business ventures, said he and Schneider worked on SB428 so that "the wholesaler isn't hurt, the consumer gets some benefit and the state really gets some benefit because we have a taxing mechanism."

Under the bill, a person can bring in 12 cases of wine a year. It also would enable a Nevadan to have that much wine shipped in. Now, shipping companies won't take such orders because of the old, restrictive law.

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