Rules and regulations are sometimes too onerous. Shouldn’t rules be helpful? An example is an article I read in the North Bay Business Journal about California rules.

In the article Guest Contributors: Regulators outline rules for pouring wine at charity events, the authors write “Specifically, wineries are allowed to pour wine at charitable events only if they comply with the provisions of Rule 53, Title 4 of the California Code of Regulations.”

The article details many conditions that must be fulfilled to be in compliance of the ABC. For example the charity must be nonprofit, participating wineries cannot advertise the event, the wineries may not charge although the charity may charge admission and accept donations. Wine sales are not permitted.

In addition the charity must have a one-day permit. And then there is the record keeping that is required.  Details to record include how much wine was given to the nonprofit charity, the amount consumed and a description of the event.

The authors of the article, Katherine Philippakis, Carrie Peters, Farella Braun + Martel LLP strongly suggest that wineries should follow these regulations in order to avoid “…unwanted regulatory attention or action.”

I hope the rules do not keep California wineries from helping deserving charities. Does your state have restrictions on wineries helping charities?

Cheers!
Kathy