The Perfect Wine-Supporting Politician
It’s election day. And I’m wondering…what would a responsible wine-industry supporting candidate look like?
1. They would support a liberal guest worker program
2. They would support moderate, but not excessive taxes on alcohol
3. They would support state or federal research on grapegrowing
4. They would support laws that allow any winery anywhere to sell direct to anyone and any business anywhere. (Free trade and the dismantling of the three tier system)
5. They would support "Brown Bag" laws that allow diners to take home unfinished wines
6. They would make the American Viticultural Area approval process more stringent and dependent upon demonstrating wines from a proposed AVA are actually unique in character
7. They would insist that grapegrowers take all reasonable steps to preserve the environment as well as being very careful to protect watersheds
8. They would always serve wines from their own districts or states at political functions
9. The would support lowering the drinking age to 18 years old
10. They would raise the legal blood alcohol limit to .10 .
A fine list of requirements. If only ….
At least in Tennessee, which fields a number of alcohol-repressive laws, it’s legal for consumers to take a bottle of wine into any restaurant in the state and to take home the remainder of a bottle they purchased at a restaurant and didn’t finish. Though you ensure good service and your name being remembered if you leave and tell the waiter that the rest of the wine is for him or her.
Amen to #3. I moved to California from Mississippi, where I fear direct shipment will never happen. So nice to be able to browse for wine online now, as we can with books, music, clothes, even those items you’d rather not anyone know you’re buying…