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Senate delays bill to let wineries offer tastings and limited on-site sales after safety and drafting concerns
Summary
Senate discussion of SB 63 focused on allowing small wineries to offer tastings and sell wine on-site (with food) as a tourism promotion; senators raised questions about task-force review, training, and public-safety safeguards and moved to 'circle' the bill for further drafting.
Senate debate over SB 63 centered on whether a Moab winery should be authorized to serve samples and make on-site retail sales as a tourism promotion.
Senator Lane Bunnell, sponsor of the floor presentation, described a business run by Anita Bradford that cultivates about 50 acres of grapes and has roughly $250,000 invested. Bunnell said the bill "authorizes people with a license... to sell wine as long as food is available," and framed the proposal as a promotional tool to support local growers.
Several senators questioned whether the liquor task force had reviewed the proposal and whether the measure contains the training, dram-shop liability and other controls the broader liquor bill package contemplated. One senator characterized the accounting consequences of earlier discussion as "funny money" and urged caution about treating newly reported accruals as spendable; others worried the winery measure might lack protections to prevent intoxicated drivers. "I don't see any of those kinds of protections in here," a senator said during debate.
After discussion, the Senate voted to 'circle' SB 63—sending it back for additional drafting and review rather than advancing it to third reading.
