The Committee on Judiciary proposed the following amendment (JUD0619.009):
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting therein the following:
/ SECTION 1. Section 61-4-720 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 61-4-720. (A) Notwithstanding another provision of law, a licensed winery located in this State is authorized to sell wine with an alcohol content of sixteen and a half percent, or less, on the winery premises and deliver or ship this wine to consumer homes in or outside the State so long as:
(1) the licensed winery is the primary American source of supply for the wine sold; or
(2)t he wine is produced on its the licensed premises and contains an alcoholic content of sixteen percent or less.
(B) For wine that is not produced on its licensed premises in the State pursuant to subsection (A)(2), but for which the winery is the primary American source of supply under subsection (A)(1), the winery may not sell more than twenty-four bottles of wine each month directly to a resident of this State for such resident's personal use and not for resale.
(C) These wineries are authorized to provide, with or without cost, wine tasting samples to prospective customers."
SECTION2. Chapter 4, Title 61 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 61-4-748. (A). Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the holder of a valid winery license that, on or after January 1, 2021, invests four hundred million dollars in this State in a Tier III or Tier IV county, as designated by the Department of Revenue pursuant to Section 12-36-3360(B), at the time of the public announcement of the project or upon reaching such investment and job requirement thresholds, and creates at least three hundred new jobs in this State, is eligible for a manufacturer's satellite certificate to establish up to three wholly-owned satellite locations for tasting and sale of wine produced or imported as the primary American source of supply, provided that:
(1) before commencing operations at any wholly-owned satellite location, the holder of a valid winery license must first have satisfied all applicable investment and job requirement thresholds;
( 2) a winery producing or bottling at least ten million gallons of wine and alcoholic beverages per calendar year in this State may operate one tasting-room premises;
( 3) a winery producing or bottling at least twenty million gallons of wine and alcoholic beverages per calendar year in this State may operate two tasting-room premises;
( 4) a winery producing or bottling at least thirty million gallons of wine and alcoholic beverages per calendar year in this State may operate three tasting-room premises;
(5)t he winery submits, and the department approves separate applications for each tasting-room premises to be issued a permit, as provided by Sections 61-2-90 and 61-2-140(C);
( 6) the winery must pay a biennial tasting-room permit fee of five thousand dollars per tasting-room premises;
( 7) no more than one tasting-room premises shall be permitted in any one county of this State;
( 8) the winery may conduct tastings of or sell only wine that is (a) produced or bottled by the winery within or outside of this State, (b) produced for or produced and packaged for the winery within or outside of this State and sold under a brand name owned by the winery, or (c) wine for which the winery is the exclusive agent in the United States of an out-of-state vintner;
( 9) the winery must sell wine for off-premises consumption at a tasting-room premises at a price approximating retail prices generally charged for identical wine in the county where the tasting-room premises is located;
( 10) the winery must charge a consumer a tasting fee to participate in a tasting or the consumer may not purchase any wine for off-premises consumption;
( 11) the winery shall remit applicable sales, use, and other state taxes and local taxes for each tasting-room premises. The winery shall maintain adequate records for each tasting-room premises to ensure the collection of these taxes;
( 12) all wine to be handled, tasted, or sold at a tasting-room premises must be purchased from licensed wholesalers and transported and delivered to the licensed tasting-room premises only by licensed South Carolina wholesalers;
( 13) the winery must maintain all liability insurance required pursuant to Section 61-2-145; and
( 14) tastings and sales shall not be offered or made to, or allowed to be offered, made to, or consumed by an intoxicated person or a person who is under the age of twenty-one.
(B) In addition to the provisions set forth in subsection (A), a winery holding one or more tasting-room permits must not provide or sell to an individual consumer at a tasting-room premises:
(1) more than ten ounces of wine in one day for on-premises consumption, including any samples offered and consumed; or
(2) more than the equivalent of six seven hundred fifty milliliter bottles of wine each calendar month to an individual consumer for off-premises consumption and not for resale.
(C) T asting rooms authorized in this section must close to the public at 5:30 PM and may not open to the public until 8:00 AM.
(D)Each tasting-room permit application is subject to protest, as provided for in Section 61-4-525 for beer and wine permit applications.
(E)The holder of a tasting-room permit who violates a provision of this section is subject to the penalties specified in Section 61-4-250.
( F)Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to prohibit or restrict a winery that also holds a brewery, micro-distillery, or liquor manufacturer's license from applying for or holding any license or permit that is available to other licensed breweries, micro-distilleries, or liquor manufacturers in this State and that allows the tasting or sales of beer or alcoholic liquors.
(G)Authorization by this section of sales and tastings at a tasting-room premises is expressly intended for the promotion of education regarding production of wine in the State and not to create competition between producers and retailers."
SECTION 3.Section 61-4-770 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 61-4-770. Wines containing more than sixteen and a half percent of alcohol by volume may be sold only in licensed alcoholic liquor stores or in establishments licensed to sell and permit consumption of alcoholic liquors by the drink."
SECTION 4.Section 61-6-1035 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 61-6-1035. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 61-6-1500, the sampling of wines containing over sixteen and a half percent by volume of alcohol, cordials, and other distilled spirits sold in a retail alcoholic liquor store is authorized if the sampling is conducted as follows:
(1) No sample may be offered from more than four products at one time.
(2) The sample is limited to products from no more than one wholesaler at one time.
(3) No more than one bottle of each of the four products to be sampled may be opened.
(4) The sampling must be held in a designated tasting area of the retail liquor store and all open bottles must be visible at all times. All open bottles must be removed at the conclusion of the tasting.
(5) Samples must be less than one-half ounce for each product sampled.
(6) No person may be served more than one sample of each product.
(7) No sampling may be offered for longer than four hours.
(8) At least ten days before the sampling, a letter detailing the specific date and hours of the sampling must be mailed first class to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The letter must include a copy of a certificate of liability insurance for the manufacturer, the retail establishment, or its agent, conducting the tastings.
(9) No sample may be offered to, or allowed to be consumed by, an intoxicated person or a person under the age of twenty-one years. This person must not be allowed to loiter on the store premises.
(10) The tastings must be conducted by the manufacturer, retailer, or an agent of the manufacturer or retailer, and must not be conducted by a wholesaler, an employee of a wholesaler, or an agent of a wholesaler.
(11) No retail alcoholic liquor store may offer more than one sampling per day.
(12) All product samples used for tastings must be purchased by the retailer from a South Carolina Licensed Wholesaler as required by Section 61-6-100(3).
(13) All associated costs for the tasting must be paid for by the manufacturer, the retailer, or its agent, conducting the tasting.
(14) Mixers, which must be nonalcoholic and carry zero percent of alcohol by weight, may be provided in conjunction with the tasting, but the mixers must be provided free of charge.
(15) Store mixers used, but not sold, in conjunction with tastings."
SECTION 5.Section 61-6-1640 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 61-6-1640. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subarticle or any other provision of law, an establishment licensed pursuant to Article 5 of this chapter is authorized to conduct samplings of wines in excess of sixteen and a half percent alcohol, cordials, and distilled spirits, if the sampling is conducted as follows:
(1) the establishment must have a permanent seating capacity of fifty or more persons;
(2) samples may not be offered from more than four products at any one time;
(3) the sampling must be held in the bar area of a licensed establishment and all open bottles must be visible at all times. All open bottles must be removed at the conclusion of the tasting;
(4) samples must be less than one-half ounce for each product sampled;
(5) a person may not be served more than one sample of each product;
(6) sampling may not be offered for more than four hours;
(7) at least five days before the sampling, a letter detailing the specific date and hours of the sampling must be mailed first class to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division;
(8) a sample may not be offered to, or allowed to be consumed by, an intoxicated person or a person under the age of twenty-one years;
(9) a licensed establishment may not offer more than one sampling each day; and
(10) the sampling must be conducted by the manufacturer or wholesaler or an agent of the manufacturer or wholesaler."
SECTION 6.Section 61-6-1650 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 61-6-1650. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a producer or wholesaler may furnish or give a sample of wine in excess of sixteen and a half percent alcohol, cordial, or distilled spirit to a retailer who has not purchased the brand from a producer or wholesaler in the past three hundred sixty-five days. For each retail establishment, a producer or wholesaler may not give more than three liters of any brand of wine in excess of sixteen and a half percent alcohol, cordial, or distilled spirit annually. If a particular product is not available in a size within the quantity limitations of this section, a producer or wholesaler may furnish to a retailer the next larger size. Samples of each bottle or other container must be clearly marked 'Sample—Not for resale'. Nothing in this section allows for any sample to be sold or provided to any employees under the age of twenty-one or to a retailer's customers. The producer or wholesaler shall remove all bottles at the conclusion of the sampling. For purposes of this section, the term 'brand' is defined as provided under 27 C.F.R. Section 6.11."
SECTION 7.Section 61-6-1540 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 61-6-1 540. (A)Except as provided in subsection (B), no other goods, wares, or merchandise may be kept or stored in or sold in or from a retail alcoholic liquor store or place of business, and no place of amusement may be maintained in or in connection with the store. However, retail dealers may sell:
(1) drinking glassware packaged together with alcoholic liquors if the glassware and alcoholic liquors are packaged together by the wholesaler or producer in packaging provided by the producer;
(2) nonalcoholic items, other than beer or wine, packaged together with alcoholic liquors if the nonalcoholic items and alcoholic liquors are in sealed packages and are packaged together by the alcoholic liquor producer at its place of business; and
(3) lottery tickets under the provisions of Chapter 150 of Title 59.
(B) Retail dealers licensed pursuant to the provisions of this article may sell all wines in the stores or places of business covered by their respective licenses, whether declared alcoholic or nonalcoholic or nonintoxicating by the laws of this State.
Wines containing more than sixteen and a half percent of alcohol by volume may be sold only in licensed alcoholic liquor stores or in establishments licensed to sell and permit consumption of alcoholic liquors by the drink. The provisions of this section do not amend, alter, or modify the taxes imposed on wines or the collection and enforcement of these taxes."
SECTION 8.A state agency with regulations specifying alcohol content percentages different from the percentages passed in this act must promulgate revised regulations to conform to the changes in this act. Until such time as the regulations are conformed, the percentages in the statutory provisions passed in this act supersede any differing percentages in the regulations.
SECTION 9This act takes effect upon approval of the Governor. /