§60-8A-5. Winery or farm winery licensee's authority to manufacture, sell, and provide samples; growler sales; advertisements; taxes; fees; rulemaking.
(a) Sales of hard cider. — A licensed winery or farm winery with its principal place of business or manufacturing facility located in the State of West Virginia may offer hard cider manufactured by the licensed winery or farm winery for retail sale to customers from the winery's or farm winery's licensed premises for consumption off-premises only in approved and registered hard cider kegs, bottles, or cans, or also sealed wine growlers for personal consumption and not for resale. A licensed winery or farm winery may not sell, give, or furnish hard cider for consumption on the premises of the principal place of business or manufacturing facility located in the State of West Virginia, except for the limited purpose of samples as permitted in subsection (b) of this section. "Wine Growler" has the meaning set forth in §60-8-6c(g) of this code. Customers may consume hard cider on-premises when an operator of a winery or farm winery is licensed as a private wine restaurant or a private manufacturer club.
(b) Samples. — A licensed winery or farm winery with its principal place of business or manufacturing facility located in the State of West Virginia may offer samples of hard cider manufactured at the winery's or farm winery's principal place of business or manufacturing facility located in the State of West Virginia. The samples may be no greater than three fluid ounces per sample per patron, and a sampling shall not exceed six complimentary three fluid ounce samples per patron per day. A licensed winery or farm winery providing samples shall provide food, which may be pre-packaged food not requiring kitchen preparation, items to the patron consuming the samples; and prior to any sampling, verify, using proper identification, that the patron sampling is 21 years of age or older and that the patron is not noticeably or visibly intoxicated. The winery or farm winery is subject to the hours of operation set forth in §60-8-34 of this code.
(c) Retail sales. — Every licensed winery or farm winery under this section shall comply with all the provisions applicable to wine retailers when conducting sales of hard cider and is subject to all applicable requirements and penalties. A winery or a farm winery holding a private wine restaurant license or private manufacturer club license may offer for sale and service hard cider by the drink or glass or cider by the bottle when consumed by the glass on the property of the winery or farm winery. In the interest of promoting tourism throughout the state, every licensed winery or farm winery manufacturing cider in this state is authorized, with a limited off-site retail privilege at private fair and festivals, for off-premises consumption sales of the winery or farm winery's sealed hard cider. At least five days prior to an approved private fair and festival, an authorized winery or farm winery shall provide a copy of a written agreement to sell only hard cider manufactured by the licensed winery or farm winery at the private fair and festival's licensed premises. If approved, an authorized winery or farm winery may conduct on-premises and off-premises consumption sales of their hard cider from a designated booth at the private fair and festival as set forth in §60-7-8a of this code. All authorized and approved wineries and farm wineries' on-premises and off-premises consumption sales of hard cider shall comply with all retail requirements in §60-8-1 et seq. of this code and §60-8A-1 et seq. of this code, and specifically with respect to all markups, taxes, and fees. Additionally, an authorized winery or farm winery may provide, sell, and serve hard cider samples in the amounts set forth in subsection(b) of this section, hard cider by the glass or drink, or hard cider by the bottle when consumed by the glass of its hard cider for on-premises consumption to patrons who are 21 years of age and older and who are not intoxicated.
(d) Payment of taxes and fees. — A licensed winery or farm winery under this section shall pay all taxes and fees required of licensed wine retailers, in addition to any other taxes and fees required, and meet applicable licensing provisions as required by law and by rule of the commissioner.
(e) Advertising. — A licensed winery or farm winery may advertise a particular brand or brands of hard cider produced by the licensed winery or farm winery and the price of the hard cider subject to state and federal requirements or restrictions. The advertisement may not encourage intemperance or target minors.
(f) Growler requirements. — A licensed winery or farm winery, if offering wine growler filling services, shall meet the filling, labeling, sanitation, and all other wine growler requirements in §60-8-6c of this code.
(g) Fee. — There is no additional fee for a licensed winery or farm winery authorized under §60-8-6c of this code, to sell wine growlers, if a winery or farm winery only desires to sell hard cider in the wine growler, and no other wine, then the annual non-prorated and nonrefundable license fee is $50.
