(a) (1) An authorized licensee, or its designated representative, may instruct consumers at an on-sale retail licensed premises authorized to sell its product with the permission of the retail on-sale licensee. The instruction may include, without limitation, the history, nature, values, and characteristics of the wine or distilled spirits and the methods of presenting and serving the wine or distilled spirits.
(2) The instruction of consumers may include the furnishing of not more than three tastings to any individual in one day. A single tasting of distilled spirits may not exceed one-fourth of one ounce and a single tasting of wine may not exceed one ounce.
(3) The authorized licensee, or its designated representative, shall either supply the wine or distilled spirits to be tasted during the instructional tasting event or purchase the wine or distilled spirits from the retail on-sale licensee at the original invoiced cost.
(4) The authorized licensee, or its designated representative, shall remove any unfinished alcoholic beverages that were supplied by the authorized licensee, or its designated representative, following the instruction.
(5) Nothing in this subdivision shall limit the giving away of samples pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 23386.
(b) For purposes of this section, “authorized licensee” means a winegrower, California winegrower’s agent, beer and wine importer general, beer and wine wholesaler, wine rectifier, distilled spirits manufacturer, distilled spirits manufacturer’s agent, distilled spirits importer general, distilled spirits rectifier, distilled spirits general rectifier, rectifier, out-of-state distilled spirits shipper’s certificate holder, distilled spirits wholesaler, brandy manufacturer, brandy importer, or California brandy wholesaler. “Authorized licensee” shall not include any person that solely holds a combination of a beer and wine wholesaler license and an off-sale beer and wine retail license or holds those licenses solely in combination with any license not listed in this paragraph, or in combination with a beer and wine importer general license, or holds a limited off-sale retail wine license.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this division or by the rules of the department, no premium, gift, free goods, or other thing of value shall be given away by an authorized licensee or its designated representative in connection with an instructional tasting event conducted pursuant to this section that includes tastings of wine or distilled spirits.
(d) (1) In addition to any point-of-sale advertising or other advertising items allowed under this division or under rules of the department, an authorized licensee or its designated representative, in his or her absolute discretion and with permission of the retail on-sale licensee upon whose premises the instructional tasting event will be held, may list in an advertisement to the general public the name and address of the on-sale retail licensee, the names of the wines or distilled spirits being featured at the instructional tasting event, and the time, date, and location of, and other information about, the instructional tasting event, provided that both of the following apply:
(A) The advertisement does not contain the retail price of the alcoholic beverages.
(B) The listing of the on-sale retail licensee’s name and address is the only reference to the on-sale retail licensee in the advertisement.
(2) Pictures or illustrations of the on-sale retail licensee’s licensed premises and laudatory references to the on-sale retail licensee in these advertisements are not authorized. Nothing in this section shall authorize an authorized licensee or its designated representative to share in the costs, if any, of the on-sale retail licensee.
(e) An on-sale retail licensee may advertise an instructional tasting event to the general public. The costs of this advertising shall be borne solely by the on-sale retail licensee. Advertising permitted by this subdivision includes flyers, newspaper ads, Internet communications, and interior signage.
(f) No more than one authorized licensee or its designated representative shall conduct an instructional tasting pursuant to this section at the on-sale retail licensed premises of an on-sale retail licensee at any time, and a person shall not act as the designated representative for more than one authorized licensee at that instructional tasting.
(Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 777, Sec. 2. (AB 520) Effective January 1, 2015.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018