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Sustain New York's Wine Heritage

Join us in our mission to amplify New York’s vibrant wine industry, champion small business, support local wine and consumer choice, and SAY NO TO THE SALE OF WINE IN GROCERY AND BIG BOX STORES. 

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Understanding the Implications of Wine in Grocery Stores

Selection and access to "real wine" would suffer.

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The wine selection for New Yorkers would be reduced as corporate chains would emphasize private label wines of lesser quality that prioritize profit over people.

Many NY wineries do not support the sale of wine in grocery stores.

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Local wineries across the state are worried about a future where corporate chains control their fate. When a few powerful grocers control the industry, it is nearly impossible for the small production winery to succeed. The independent market as it exists now creates more opportunities for local wineries.

Thousands of jobs and small businesses would be lost.

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Real New York families would be put out of work as independent retailers lose market share to large grocery stores. Over time, businesses would shutter as the market becomes consolidated by these chains. It wouldn't just be stores and local wineries that are hurt—the small specialty importers and distributors that independent stores buy wine from and promote would be forced to downsize their selection, lay off their staff and eventually close.

Grocery chains and the big box stores want you to drink wine that is good for their bottom line, not what is good for the health and prosperity of our local farmers, wineries and family businesses.

Save NY Wine is a coalition of NY farmers, winemakers, retailers, distributors and consumers who seek to safeguard the New York wine industry from large corporate interests. Our passionate community provides support for NY wine industry members who don’t have the resources of large corporate entities. We believe that New York wine succeeds when our industry partners share their knowledge, focus on customer education and commit to sustainable business and farming practices.

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Read What NY Wineries Are Saying

Rick Rainey

Managing Partner, Forge Cellars

“One thing I know for sure from my extensive travels across the U.S. is that New York is home to the most dynamic, independent retailer base in the United States. Wine in grocery stores would be a further consolidation of wealth into the hands of large corporations that will result in less choice for the consumer. The upside to allowing wine in grocery would be minimal and short-lived compared to the harm it would cause across our great state.”

Ben Riccardi

Winemaker and Owner, Osmote

 “If we move now to bring wine into grocery stores, I fear the shelves will fill with out of state and out of country wine producers and New York wine will lose a massive amount of retail market share, then have to fight desperately to regain placement.  This could hurt a generation of winemaking families and undercut a whole wave of small startups, unless you work to protect the small retailers who understand our plight and are ready, willing, and able to explain to consumers what climate change is doing to our precious wine region.  We need these small shops to continue the connection to the consumer.”

Colleen Hardy

Co-founder, Living Roots Wine & Co.

“I fear adding wine to grocery stores will be taking several steps backwards. The wines featured in grocery stores in other states are usually mass produced and sold at low prices. It is treated as a commodity, and there are few, if any, Finger Lakes wineries who can compete on that level.”
 

Alex Alvarez-Perez

Co-Owner, Usonia

“NY Senate Bill 6786 would be a direct threat to the stores that have been so vital to our winery. Wine being sold in grocery stores would cause massive downturns in sales, if not outright closures, at the shops we rely on. We cannot compete with brands from California or around the world who produce hundreds of thousands of bottles of cheap wine and are primed to fill grocery store shelves. We’re not alone: Finger Lakes wineries are staring down the barrel of a very small crop this year thanks to a spring frost. Last year, we had a small crop because of a very cold winter. Such weather catastrophes are only becoming more frequent and will only make it harder, if not impossible, for any New York winery to produce volumes matching wineries in warmer climates. As such, we need the support of small, local businesses who are willing to do a little extra work to sell our wines.”
 

Mel Goldman

Owner/Vineyard Manager, Keuka Lake Vineyards

“We are a fine wine producer in the Finger Lakes producing fewer than 3000 cases and oppose wine in grocery stores.  Grocery stores tend to carry mass produced wines. The bureaucratic hurdles for smaller producers to get in are virtually insurmountable for a small business like ours. If grocery stores control a higher proportion of the wine sold in NY state, then the choice of wines will be much more limited, and consumers will be worse off.”

Nathan Kendall

Winemaker, Nathan K. and Hickory Hollow

Being small production, like most wineries here, as well as dealing with the hardships of climate change, we can’t currently compete with most regions…. I see absolutely no benefit to the small wineries in our region from this bill. Allowing wine in grocery stores will mean less wine buyers (jobs) and more placements of big industrial wines that aren’t from the state that are priced much cheaper. I’ve been to many states that allow wine in grocery stores, and there’s zero placements of small producers. While this bill might make shopping more convenient, it’s going to be at the expense of the majority of New York wineries.

About Us

At a recent industry conference, we had an “aha!” moment: 

“Shouldn’t there be a unified community of New York wine industry professionals, from every part of the trade?”

Wineries were doing their thing in one corner, importers and distributors in another, and retailers in yet another.  

We realized a simple truth: we share common visions.  We need to collaborate to foster the continued growth and reach of NY wine.  So, we set goals, until we got the urgent call to act.

The news hit that corporate lobbyists were trying to push for the sale of wine in grocery stores and big box stores.  Shortly thereafter, this and other legislation was pending to allow grocery stores and other chains to fill their shelves with wine in NY.   

Our mission now: use our collective strengths and experiences to act as a steward of New York’s cherished FLX wine region, allowing the NY wine industry to continue to thrive and flourish as a farm-to-table winemaking zone, with a focus on independence, quality, farming, and sustainability, and free from corporate greed and interference.

The corporations want you to think wine in grocery and big box is good for New York.  What many don’t realize is that there is a real danger in consolidating so much wine buying power to corporate chains: a business model that prioritizes profit over people, limited choice over consumer wants, big business over independent purveyors, and corporate wine over local wine. 

What does this alliance hope to accomplish?  

Defending our region from corporate destruction is the hurdle to overcome now.  We need to keep wine out of corporate controlled chains, many out of state, in order to preserve the delicate financial and cultural ecosystems of NY’s winemaking zones.  

Now, groups of wineries, stores, and distributors have organized to tell our story, educating our lawmakers about the perils of wine in grocery stores.  We want to ensure that our voices are heard, and that our elected officials know the NY wine industry at large does not support wine in grocery stores.

Our alliance is growing.  Our message resonates with people who understand the immediate threat to small businesses, local growers, and our region’s cherished wineries.  

We hope you support our cause.  Please explore our website, sign up for our newsletter, and sign our petition.

Where We've Been Featured

Food About Town Podcast: Wine in New York Grocery Stores?

Frequently Asked Questions

Wine in grocery stores = less choice for wine lovers. As a consumer, allowing wine in grocery stores would mean fewer options on the shelf to choose from. Grocery chains continue to emphasize their own private label products over national brands. Currently, New York has the best selection of wines in the country at the best prices. According to wholesale data, New York has over 100,000 different wines registered for sale in the state (thanks to an independent retailer model), while states where wine is sold in grocery stores have less than 30,000.

As the bill is currently written, independent wine and liquor stores would have to take serious steps to offset the 60%-70% decline in their traffic. In the first year, these Mom & Pop businesses would be forced to lay off staff, move to a smaller location and many would go out of business. Rents could not be paid and leases would be defaulted on. Wine sales make up 70-85% of a store’s revenue, so downsizing would be a question of when, not if.
 
Absolutely. Colorado passed a law allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores last year and independent retailers have reported a major decline in their business. That article can be found here. There are numerous news reports and articles of late discussing the law’s devastating impact on independent, family-owned purveyors. 
 
New York stands to lose more if the law is passed. New York is home to the thriving Finger Lakes region, which is a bastion for winemaking, farming and tourism. New York is also home to hundreds of family-owned wine retail shops.  Wine in grocery stores would undermine the region as a whole, in addition to shuttering these independent, family-owned stores. This one-two punch would deliver a devastating blow to the region, especially over time. 
1. Corruption and/or unfair competition. When a limited number of corporate buyers control the wine market, that means an opportunity for wine suppliers to influence the selection for thousands of locations. Corporate grocery buyers at regional and national chains are not immune to the “incentives” provided by greedy suppliers with expense accounts. How does it work? Simple—in exchange for a placement on the shelf and guaranteed promotions, buyers receive free trips, dinners, product and cash. The recent Oregon corruption case neatly demonstrates what happens when a monopoly uses their influence improperly.
 
2. Multiple components of the industry will suffer, including independent businesses. When wine shops have to close, their business partners will diminish including importers, distributors, wineries, delivery truck drivers, logistics providers, warehouse companies.
 
3. Prices on wine will go up too—as competition decreases in the market and grocery chains consolidate power, there will be a steady but assured price increase in order to boost their profits.
 
4. Liquor prices would rise dramatically for the consumer. When independent stores lose nearly 75% of their revenue base, they will be forced to try to make up their losses with increased prices on liquor. In a time of extreme inflation and economic uncertainty, the last thing consumers want is for their bottle of Tito’s or Maker’s Mark to go up 15%.
 
5. Wine and Liquor “deserts” will pop up. As independent retailers go out of business, New Yorkers will lose access to wine and spirits.  Over time, independent retailers will close, resulting in less access and outlets for wine and spirits across our communities.  This will negatively impact jobs, family businesses, distributors, spirits companies, and consumer access.
The New York wine industry would be undermined and undercut as the market would be dominated by grocery chains and their immense buying power.  This will reverse the momentum of the Finger Lakes wine industry.
 
Wineries from regions like the Finger Lakes are now considered world-class.  They depend on independent wine merchants who taste, educate and promote these wines to their customers.  This symbiotic relationship has been in place for decades and has contributed to the rise in popularity of NY wines and wine in general.  New York wineries work with these business partners for sales volume and to build brand awareness. According to a 2019 New York Wine & Grape Foundation study, wine and grape industries in NY generate $6.65 billion in economic activity and create over 70,000 jobs. Wine in grocery stores would result in fewer outlets, meaning fewer placements, less volume and fewer wine jobs than the current independent marketplace creates.
The simple answer: it isn’t as profitable. To the grocery chain, profit and consistency are more important than quality.
 
The reality of grape growing in a northerly climate means that New York wines are prone to vintage variation and inconsistent yields. This inconsistency means that there is less wine to sell should there be a poor harvest which results in higher prices, especially when compared to more consistent growing areas like California and South America. 
 
Grocery chains need consistent yields to support their labels and stores.  They will prioritize their own private label New York wines, focusing on maintaining their own channels of distribution versus independent channels from local wineries.  This allows big box stores to control quality and quantity, and work outside the existing terroir-focused vintners.  
 
The consequence: the wineries who produce estate wines will suffer, due to less demand.  Further, the wineries who do participate in the big box distribution system will be forced to produce at unprofitable margins to keep costs low, as required by corporate entities.

Private label wines are, essentially, store brand wines. They are wine brands that are created specifically for one retailer and sold exclusively at that retailer. Most of the time, private label wines are underwhelming and inconsistent — they are nothing more than bulk wine handsomely re-packaged in a catchy label designed by a focus group. The major issue with private labels is transparency. Good questions to ask to find out if the wine you are drinking is a private label are: Who makes this wine? Where is it made? Is that even a place? Does the wine have a website? Is this wine an exclusive to one store or chain?

NO, it is corporate lobbyists.

Consumers are not asking for this law, and the Finger Lakes region is not asking for this law.  Instead, corporations are spreading disinformation to convince lawmakers this is needed.  The truth is, the proposed changes are wholly unnecessary.  The structure in NY has been in place for decades, and it is working just fine.  NY has a vibrant independent wine industry and culture.  Consumers benefit from this. 

Keeping the marketplace free from unfair corporate interference breeds quality, choice, innovation, and better prices.  Corporate control disrupts a system that is working, and a system consumers did not ask to be changed.

The NY Senators who sponsor and co-sponsor bill #6786 are: Liz Krueger, Jeremy Cooney, Simcha Felder and Brad Hoylman-Sigal
 
The NY Assembly members who sponsor and co-sponsor bill #6989 are: Pamela Hunter, Alicia Hyndman, Jaime Williams, Brian Cunningham, and Kimberly Jean-Pierre.
Follow the money. Lower prices, higher margin, instant brand awareness and zero competition. 
 

The big box stores want you to believe that wine in grocery and big box is to promote consumer choice.  Instead, it is just another way for chains to make you switch from local, independent producers to corporate, big-box labels.  This is the opposite of consumer choice.  You will have less options on the shelves.  Just like you see store brand ketchup, you will see a move to store brand wine.

Further, a move to private label has a domino effect on the industry, that is particularly bad in New York Sate.  It undermines the overall health of the Finger Lakes region.  Private labels drive consumers to cheaper store bought brands, instead of purchasing from local independent stores and instead of buying wine from our region’s wineries.  This will shutter independent retailers, which will further drive consumers to private label, which will ultimately be detrimental to independent grape growers and wineries.

1. Email your opposition to your New York representatives using this easy link here.

2. Sign up for our email newsletter to stay informed on the latest developments.

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