Wed
Mar 18 2009
12:04 pm
Where they stand on wine in grocery stores
By: R. Neal

Here's a list of state legislators and their stand on wine in grocery stores. (By way of Tom Humphrey.)

Topics:
Justin's picture

Burchett is pro-eating

Submitted by Justin on Wed, 2009/03/18 - 3:42pm.

Tim Burchett is pro-eating roadkill but against buying wine in a grocery store? Can you find out how much the liquor lobby has donated to his campaign fund? What about Rep. Joe Armstrong? What is his excuse for not letting me buy a bottle of wine at Kroger?

local_yokel's picture

McCord

Submitted by local_yokel on Wed, 2009/03/18 - 4:16pm.

McCord is down as an "Undecided". That is kind of funny given the drawer full of liquor found in his "smoking room" in the state house.

(link...)

Wonder if he has donations from the liquor lobby?

StaceyDiamond's picture

Burchett

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Wed, 2009/03/18 - 4:34pm.

Burchett always describes himself as a "teetotaler." Its interesting how people are pro business doing whatever it wants until it benefits them not to.

Elrod's picture

No partisan difference

Submitted by Elrod on Wed, 2009/03/18 - 5:03pm.

I'm struck by how truly non-partisan this issue is - on each side of the issue. So why are some supporting it and some opposed? Is it just campaign cash from the wholesaler's lobby?

Interesting that Ron Ramsey backs it.

Justin's picture

I attribute it to the "Jesus

Submitted by Justin on Wed, 2009/03/18 - 6:05pm.

I attribute it to the "Jesus Factor"...and the liquor lobby. At least we don't have draconian alcohol laws like PA with state run package stores.

WhitesCreek's picture

Walmarting your Wine merchant

Submitted by WhitesCreek on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 7:59am.

I oppose wine in grocery stores but for somewhat different reasons. I spend a good bit of time in a state that has wine in groceries and I have to say the selection sucks. In that community there were two real wine stores, one is gone the other has turned into a liquor store. The grocery stores have a lousy selection and absolutely will not order a request.

And guess what? The prices aren't any better in the grocery stores there than they are in the wine stores here. Go figure.

smalc's picture

I am conflicted for that

Submitted by smalc on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 9:19am.

I am conflicted for that reason as well. It'd be nice to pick up some wine with the groceries, but I'd rather support a independently owned store.
Does Walmart sell wine in other states? I confess to buying wine at Kroger in other states, but try to avoid avoid Walmart wherever I am.

local_yokel's picture

I support wine in grocery stores because...

Submitted by local_yokel on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 1:54pm.

...we will be able to draw a wider range of grocery stores to do business here. Some chains avoid our state. I think this will bring a better selection of both stores and wine.

Hildegard's picture

I disagree that the wine

Submitted by Hildegard on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 10:51pm.

I disagree that the wine selection is terrible. It is not optimum or even great, but it is not terrible. You can find very good wine in the liquor stores downtown, in Fountain City, Sequoyah Hills, West Hills, and to a lesser extent in Turkey Creek. You cannot of course find the variety and selection a large city would offer but why the f would anybody expect that here? For a town of its size, in this part of the country, Knoxville's availability of good wine pleasantly surprises folks I know from the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and Provence.

But I agree that Yellow Tail is not only not good wine, it is terrible wine. I would use it to bring a coma patient back to consciousness.

I am also not sure what other posters mean by opposing grocery store sales of wine because the selection in grocery stores would be bad. That is an utterly specious argument. There is no sound moral or business or public policy reason why grocery stores should be banned from selling wine. If you don't like the selection at Kroger go to a liquor store for quality.

onetahiti's picture

Liquor stores are less accessible than grocery stores

Submitted by onetahiti on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 4:54pm.

The liquor stores I have been in here, admittedly years ago, reeked so much of tobacco (and so did their clerks) that shopping was impractical. No way would I ever suggest my sainted mom make an extra trip to Harriman and brave the pro-tobacco attitude just to pick up some Mountain White Chablis for fondue.

Consequently, our family has not made one recipe with wine in many years. And we love cooking with wine.

The current restrictive laws here turned us into unwilling teetotalers who must keep our money rather than spend it on delicious alcohol-based cooking.

The same goes for other forms of alcohol. Until they are sold in a clean place with salespeople who don't reek of cigarettes, we aren't buying any. It would be nice if we could order over the Internet, so we could get whatever we wanted, but until then, it will be the grocery store for us or not at all.

StaceyDiamond's picture

Mead

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 5:55pm.

I've never had Mead but it sounds good and I want to make a trip to Lake City to check their meadery(?) out. It seems like a cool place and they've started having some live music.

StaceyDiamond's picture

liquor stores

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 5:58pm.

With the new laws liquor stores probably don't smell of tobacco any more. I just drink whatever is cheap and am not a wine snob, but the liquor stores I've been in in Ftn. City and South Knox seem halfway decent. Some convenient stores that sell beer are nasty and shady but no longer smell of tobacco.

Justin's picture

Food City has a pretty good

Submitted by Justin on Thu, 2009/03/19 - 6:12pm.

Food City has a pretty good selection of micro-brews (and pick your own 6 packs). Kudos to whoever is in their buying office that makes the selections.

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