SB381 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg AlbrittonSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Alcoholic beverages, establish farm winery license

Summary

This bill would create a farm winery license in Alabama to produce and sell Alabama-made farm wine, allow expanded sales and festival activities, and direct excise tax revenue to grape cultivation research.

What This Bill Does

It establishes a new farm winery license for producing and selling farm wine in Alabama, with a production cap of 50,000 gallons per year. Farm wineries can sell domestically and internationally, including to the state board, wholesale customers, and consumers, and they may open up to two additional retail locations that only sell their farm wine; a special event license for wine festivals can also be obtained with local approval. The bill requires monthly excise tax reporting by farm wineries, sets the tax rate like other table wines, directs the taxes to viticulture research, and tasks the ABC Board with creating rules to protect revenue; it also sets the licensing and regulatory framework for implementation.

Who It Affects

• Farm wineries in Alabama would be affected by new licensing, production limits (50,000 gallons per year), expanded sales channels (including export and wholesale), potential additional retail locations, and monthly excise tax reporting.
• State agencies and programs (Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Department of Agriculture and Industries, and viticulture research efforts) would implement the licensing, collect and remit excise taxes, and allocate funds to grape cultivation research.

Key Provisions

• Establishes a farm winery license for the manufacture and sale of farm wine produced in Alabama, with farm wine defined and produced by a farm winery.
• Sets an annual production limit of 50,000 gallons for a farm winery; licenses exceeding 50,000 gallons may renew for one additional year.
• Allows farm wineries to sell to the ABC Board, consumption on/off premises, permit holders, and customers outside Alabama; permits up to two additional retail premises for selling only farm wine produced by the licensee; permits festival-related activities with a special event license.
• Requires no additional license fee; imposes monthly excise tax reporting by farm wineries, with tax rate based on the class of table wine; taxes deposited in the same manner as other taxes and directed to viticulture research.
• directs the Department of Agriculture and Industries to prioritize viticulture research funding and coordinate through the agriculture research university system.
• The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shall issue rules to protect excise tax revenue from farm wine licensees and small farm wine sales.
• Effective date: the first day of the third month after the bill is enacted.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Alcoholic Beverages