Governer Schwarzenegger terminates criminalization of home wine makers
On Friday Governor Schwarzenegger signed off an “urgency measure,” Senate Bill 607, which took immediate effect.
Introduced by California Senator Patricia Wiggins, the bill was quickly introduced after she learned that under California law it was technically illegal for home winemakers to share their products with others. This technicality surfaced after home winemaker Conn Murray, who is an organizer of Kelseyville’s home winemaking festival that will take place June 28 in Sonoma, requested clarification of pertaining laws from the ABC.
Wiggins said that “even though the provision banning home winemaker competitions had not been widely enforced in practice, the growing legions of home winemakers did not deserve to have an arcane section of state law hanging over them.” She added that “Governor Schwarzenegger has helped ensure that we are resolving this issue once and for all, in time for peak season for county fairs and in advance of the big daddy of home winemaker competitions: the California State Fair.”
Well, its about time, isn’t it? Homemade wine is a great thing. My mom made dandelion and beet wine and it was fun and wonderful. Hopefully the other states will see this and liberate all of us.