US:NY WINE BILL SPARKS OUTRAGE

(TheDrinksBusiness) - New York wine distributors are fighting to stop a State Senate bill that they fear would drive many out of business and force up prices for the end consumer.  Initial objections to the “At Rest” bill when it was proposed last year have now turned to outrage after it emerged that Empire Merchants, one of the few distributors large enough to benefit from this proposal, has donated more than half a million dollars over the past eight years to members of the State Senate.

Among the politicians who are understood to have received legal cash donations from Empire Merchants or its senior management within the last four years are Governor Andrew Cuomo, State Senator Jeffrey Klein, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and State Senator José Peralta, with a further donation to the Independent Democratic Conference.

The “At Rest” bill would require all wine sold in New York to spend at least 24 hours being warehoused within the state before it is distributed to local stores. Many smaller distributors currently store their wine in cheaper warehouse facilities across the border in New Jersey, but Empire Merchants operates from its own warehouses in Queens and Brooklyn.