Would You Like to Sample That Beer (Or Wine) Before Buying It?

The Washington State legislature passed a bill--it has yet to be signed by Governor Gregoire--that allows grocery stores that sell beer and wine to add a "tasting" endorsement to their liquor license. From the final bill report (.pdf):

A store seeking to obtain the endorsement must meet the following criteria:

1. At least half of the gross sales of the store must be from retail sales of grocery products for off-premise consumption or the store must be a membership organization;
2. The store must be at least 9,000 square feet; and
3. The store cannot have more than one public safety violation within the past two years.
   

The LCB may issue endorsements to stores smaller than 9,000 square feet if the store meets operational requirements and the LCB finds there are no stores in the community that meet the minimum size requirements.

The licensee must be able to observe and control individuals in the tasting service area, make food available for participants, limit sample size to 2 ounces, and provide no more than 4 ounces per customer per visit. Store employees serving beer and/or wine at tasting events must hold an alcohol servers permit, and sampling costs must be borne by the store.

I think this is a great idea. Of course, this merely means that stores can do this. It does not require them to do it. Although, something tells me I won't have much luck trying to taste my $3.00 "cab sauv".

Photo from bbp's Flickr.