Our favorite wine nerd with a Ph.D., Dr. Vino, is taking a closer look at New York’s crazy wine retailing laws. This post is especially fascinating to us, because we’re used to Chicago where the only liquor law is that you can’t sell alcohol too close to a library, or in a gas station, or to someone who is currently operating a car. And especially not to someone operating a car at a gas station that is really close to a library. From Dr. Vino:

Yes, it’s time for another edition of “New York’s crazy wine retailing laws!”

Law #1: Thou shalt not have more than one wine retail license in the state of New York. This is the fourth Whole Foods in Manhattan and the seventh in New York State. None of the NY stores sells wine (you never know what might happen if you could buy Sancerre the same time you buy Camembert), unlike Whole Foods stores in renegade states California, Illinois and Texas-where, I hasten to point out, levels of social unrest are no higher than in New York as a result of selling wine.

Admittedly, it can get a little crazy at Sam’s…—MEGHANN MARCO

Whole Foods Bowery: yes food, no wine [Dr.Vino]
(Photo: JasonJT)

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