TRENTON, NJ – In a move to bolster the wine industry in New Jersey, the Senate Economic Growth Committee has reported favorably on Senate Bill No. 2724. The bill aims to facilitate alternating proprietorships for plenary and farm wineries, allowing them a more flexible and cooperative approach to wine production.
Under the existing laws, plenary and farm winery license holders are restricted to exercising exclusive control over a single place of business for their wine manufacturing processes. This new legislation will allow these license holders to apply to the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control to enter into an agreement with a host New Jersey winery to utilize the host’s equipment and space. This agreement will enable them to produce wine on an alternating basis at the host winery’s premises.
This bill also brings a significant change in the requirements for producing wine. Currently, a holder of a plenary or farm winery license must grow grapes or fruit on at least three acres on or adjacent to the winery premises. Under the proposed legislation, an applicant entering into an alternating proprietorship agreement would be allowed to grow these grapes or fruit within a five-mile radius of the host winery premises.
This initiative is seen as a positive step to foster collaboration and growth within the local wine industry and offers an innovative approach to the traditional wine manufacturing process. The bill will now move forward in the legislative process, reflecting the government’s ongoing commitment to supporting and innovating local businesses.
