Two state legislators have pitched a bill that would allow wineries to sell their stuff at farmers markets in Silver Spring and elsewhere, according to the Montgomery County delegation’s website.

Photo: If they can do it in Ann Arbor, Mich, then why can't we do it here? Courtesy of Flickr user Jens.
“We have an emerging wine industry in Maryland with a lot of potential to contribute to our state economy,” Del Brian Feldman, who drafted the bill with fellow District 15 Dem Craig Rice, wrote in an email to The Penguin. ”This bill will help them market their product directly to consumers.”
If the bill becomes law, vintners will be allowed to sell wine by the bottle but not by the glass at farmers markets, and they’ll only be given up to 12 special-event permits each year. “We have 35 wineries in Maryland, and I believe most of them would be eligible to apply for the permits,” Feldman wrote.
Each permit would be valid for three consecutive days, the bill stated. That might mean a single winery can hit the Bethesda farm women’s co-op on a Friday, then downtown Silver Spring’s FreshFarm market on a Saturday, and then wrap up the weekend at either the Takoma Park or Wheaton farmers markets. (more…)











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