Right now you have an extraordinary opportunity to save the wineries of New Jersey from a catastrophic shutdown and, at the same time, make it easier for yourself to purchase our wine without traveling great distances.
In the next few days, members of the NJ Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee will decide whether to release a bill for the entire assembly to vote on whether our wineries can ship wine inside and outside the state. The bill, A4436, heads to the Assembly next month. We are hoping for a committee vote on Jan. 5 and a full Assembly vote on Jan. 9. Consequently, time is running short.
Over the past several weeks, thousands of New Jerseyans like yourself have called and written their state senators, encouraging them to vote yes for this bill at the Senate level. Their efforts were successful. I am asking you now, as a friend of our wineries, to do the same with the assembly. An email is fine. A personal call to your assemblyman or woman’s office is even better. Either way, a vote to allow shipping will allow our wineries to grow their businesses and prevent a closing of our tasting rooms if the state legislature fails to act.
Below you will find the names and contact information for those assembly representatives critical to making sure the bill gets out of committee and onto the assembly floor for a vote. If you know any of them personally, please make contact immediately to voice your support for Bill A4436. If one or more represents the county where you live or work, please let them know this legislation is important to you as a supporter of New Jersey wines. The 38 states that have already passed similar legislation allowing shipping inside and outside their states have all seen dramatic improvements in their wine industry economies.
Your support will do the same for our wineries and make it easier for you to get the wines you enjoy. Your support will help farmers with vineyards preserve their farmland and create jobs. Your support and approval on the bill will continue to boost tourism from inside and outside the state—creating more jobs and revenues for NJ businesses. Senior elected officials have directly attributed the highest jump in tourism numbers in years to the state’s wineries. And finally, your support will also help eliminate the threat of a federal appellate court decision last December. That decision found retail outlets and tasting rooms operated by state wineries to be unconstitutional because the state does not let out of state wineries sell directly here as we do. The federal ruling said current state mandates requiring out-of-state wineries to operate through wholesalers — is unfair. This new legislation would allow both in-state and out-of-state small wineries — producing 250,000 gallons or less of wine per year — to operate outlets in New Jersey, virtually protecting our businesses from huge liquor distributors trying to manipulate our industry.
We are in favor of your being able to buy wines from us and from our colleagues out of state as well. That is free trade at its best and we support that basic American right.
Failure to move the bill from committee into the assembly floor for a positive vote would severely hamper the ability of the wine industry inside and outside NJ to grow if smaller vineyards continue to face economic and legislative obstacles.
A lot of us have worked very hard to establish our businesses and a reputation in New Jersey for making fine wines. We need our legislators in the NJ Assembly to understand this. You can help tremendously.
Please look at the following assembly representatives’ names and areas they represent and reach out to them today, knowing our success will be your success as well. Thank you.
Ollie Tomasello
Chairman, Garden State Wine Growers Association
Chairman John Burzichelli (D-3)
AsmBurzichelli@njleg.org
(856) 251-9801
Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-20)
AswQuijano@njleg.org
(908) 624-0880
Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-28)
AsmCaputo@njleg.org
(973) 450-0484
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-12)
AswCasagrande@njleg.org
(732) 866-1695
Assemblyman Vincent Polistina (R-2)
AsmPolistina@njleg.org
(609) 677-8266 |
