(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an additional class of licenses allowing the sale of wine at retail food stores is created. These licenses shall be known as “retail food store wine licenses” and shall be issued by the alcoholic beverage commission; provided, that licenses shall only be issued to a retail food store located in a county or municipality that has authorized the sale of wine at retail food stores by local option election pursuant to § 57-3-801 and has full-time law enforcement through a police or sheriff’s department. The commission shall begin issuing the retail food store wine licenses on July 1, 2016, and prior to that date no retail food store may sell wine; however, the commission shall accept applications from retail food stores in jurisdictions that have authorized the sale of wine at retail food stores and begin processing such applications prior to that date. The retail food store wine license shall permit the licensee to receive, store, possess and sell wine at retail for consumption off the premises at the licensed retail food store subject to the restrictions in this part.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 57-3-803

  • beverage: means and includes alcohol, spirits, liquor, wine, high alcohol content beer, and every liquid containing alcohol, spirits, wine, and high alcohol content beer and capable of being consumed by a human being, other than patent medicine or beer, as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • Commission: means the alcoholic beverage commission, except as otherwise provided. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • License: means the license issued pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • Licensee: means any person to whom such license has been issued pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • Municipality: means an incorporated town or city having a population of:
    (i) Seven hundred (700) or more, according to the 2010 federal census or a subsequent federal census. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Retail food store wine license: means a license for the sale of wine at retail in a retail food store as defined in part 8 of this chapter. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • Retailer: means any person who sells at retail any beverage for the sale of which a license is required under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Wine: means the product of the normal alcoholic fermentation of the juice of dried or fresh, sound, ripe grapes, fruit, or other agricultural products, with the usual cellar treatment and necessary additions to correct defects due to climatic, saccharine, and seasonal conditions, including champagne, sparkling, and fortified wine of an alcoholic content not to exceed twenty-one percent (21%) by volume. See Tennessee Code 57-3-101
(b)

(1) Any person, partnership, limited liability company or corporation desiring to sell wine to patrons or customers within the premises of a retail food store, in sealed packages only, and not for consumption on the premises shall make application to the commission for a retail food store wine license, which application shall be in writing and verified, on forms herein authorized to be prescribed and furnished; and the commission may, subject to the restrictions of this part, issue such retailer‘s license. A retail food store may enter into a franchise or management agreement with a person or entity to make wine sales at the premises of the retail food store. If the premises with respect to which the license is sought is owned by a person, partnership, limited liability company or corporation not the applicant, the application shall include the name and address of the owner. If the ownership of the premises should change after a license is granted, the licensee shall, within ten (10) days after becoming aware of such change in ownership, notify the commission in writing of the name and address of the new owner.
(2)

(A) Any individual applicant applying for a retail food store wine license must be twenty-one (21) years of age or older and must not have been convicted of a felony subject to § 57-3-210(c).
(B) The commission may issue a retail food store wine license to a person, partnership, limited liability company or corporation that is registered to do business in this state regardless of the residence of the ownership of such entity. No holder of a retail food store wine license, nor any person or entity having any interest in such license greater than ten percent (10%) shall have any interest as partner or otherwise, either direct or indirect, in a business licensed to engage in the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages, including wine and beer licensed under § 57-3-202, § 57-3-203, § 57-3-204, § 57-3-207, § 57-3-217 or part 6 of this chapter. Nothing shall prohibit the holder of a retail food store wine license from having more than one (1) retail food store wine license. Nothing in this subdivision (b)(2)(B) shall be construed as prohibiting a retail food store that owns its own premises from either holding a retail food store wine license or from entering into a franchise or management agreement as provided in subdivision (b)(1).
(c) Any wine sold by the holder of a retail food store wine license shall not exceed an alcoholic content of eighteen percent (18%) by volume.
(d) Nothing in this part is intended or shall be construed to modify the provisions of title 57 that provide for the separation and independence of the classes of licenses available to manufacturers, wholesalers or retailers of alcoholic beverages or beer in this state.
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