WASHINGTON, D.C. (WENY) — The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) lifted restrictions preventing vineyards from selling wine in regular-sized cans.
Before Tuesday’s announcement, the TTB only allowed wine and hard cider above 6.9% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) to be sold in larger cans such as 12.7 ounces, and only allowed 8.4-ounce cans to be sold in a three or four back, not individually. Now, wine can be sold in traditional-sized cans that sodas and beers are sold in, such as 12 ounces and individually in 8.4 ounces.
Senator Chuck Schumer, who has advocated on behalf of New York State vineyards for the restrictions to be lifted, applauded the move. According to Schumer’s office, in 2019, canned wine sales grew by 68%, resulting in a nearly $200 million market.
“Although it was already a heavy-hitter, New York’s $4.8 billion wine industry was left hanging on the vine by TTB’s outdated rules and restrictions,” said Senator Schumer. “Today’s decision to allow winemakers to sell their products in the most popular-sized cans will lead to further economic growth and allow producers to capitalize on an explosive trend. I’m proud to have helped New York’s wine industry cut through the bureaucratic red tape, can regulations that weren’t helping anybody, and uncork the full potential of the Upstate economy.”
Back in July, Senator Schumer visited Fox Run Vineyards in Penn Yan to call for the TTB to lift the restrictions. He also visited Lakewood Vineyards in 2019 after writing to the TTB about the restrictions. The Senator argued that the 12-ounce cans are less expensive and easier to source than the larger cans; additionally, he said a survey showed individually sold cans were most popular among customers.
Scott Osborn, the president and co-owner of Fox Run said, “I would like to thank Senator Schumer’s many years of work on this. Without his help, this very important change to standard fill sizes would not have happened. This allows Fox Run Vineyards and the wine industry to use standard size cans that are much more affordable and useable by the public.”