Control or freedom? Why the wine community welcomes changes to the Alcohol Control Act | Business

True, we will have to wait for about three more months until the amendments are notified in Brussels, and then the final vote will take place in the Seimas. However, the political will has already been expressed, and this can be celebrated. But what will actually change and what will it mean for consumers and businesses? Arūnas Starkus, co-owner of the Wine Club, which organizes the Wine Days, shares his insights.

Stronger drinks are allowed at exhibitions and mass events

In amendments from 13 to 15 percent by volume. the strength of alcoholic beverages allowed to be sold at exhibitions and fairs has been raised. The previous restriction (up to 13% by volume) was illogical.

Wine is classified not by alcohol concentration, but by origin, grape varieties, style, etc. Some styles of wine almost always exceed 13%. alcohol volume. I think that neither A.Sys, who opposed the amendments, nor MP A.Širinskienė could explain why a bottle of champagne (12.5% ​​by volume) can be sold at the exhibition, while red Italian “Primitivo” (always more than 13.5% by volume) can’t.

Photo of R. Daskevičius. /Exhibition “Wine days”

It is true that alcoholic beverages will not be sold at “Wine Days” because it is an educational exhibition. Visitors are invited to participate in tastings, meet winemakers and other beverage producers, wine, beer, and spirits experts, discover new countries, styles of wine, and other beverages.

After the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania approves the amendments to the AKI, it will finally be possible to buy a glass of wine at mass events. Until now, consumers could only choose beer or cider, as it was forbidden to sell drinks stronger than 7.5 percent. alcohol volume. In the new edition, it is allowed to sell drinks up to 15% by volume.

Wine and mead sellers are happy with the decision. However, consumers who like wine will benefit the most, so at least a third of Lithuanians will be able to feel comfortable at events.

It will be possible to donate alcohol. And it was not possible?!

It will be possible to donate alcohol again. Parliamentarian Aurelijs Veryga urged his colleagues to vote “no” at the meeting, accused the Minister of Health of hypocrisy when he approved the amendments that went to the Seimas at the Government meeting, but the hypocrisy was not noticed because the ban that had been in effect until now did not solve any problem.

Photo by R. Daskevičius/Exhibition “Wine Days”

He even raised ethical (if not legal) problems, recalling that French President E. Macron gave the Lithuanian President a box of good wine, and Sakartvel’s ambassador was stopped while bringing a very expensive bottle of wine to the Seimas as a gift.

There will be no more misunderstandings in company accounting, and decisions about Christmas gifts will be made by company managers, and not by members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

Education is not advertising

The absolute ban on alcohol advertising is also slightly relaxed. More specifically, what has been in practice for the longest time and which was approved by the Department of Narcotics, Tobacco and Alcohol Control, which implements the Law on Drug Abuse and Control, is legalized:

1. objective cognitive, scientific, historical information about methods of consumption of alcoholic beverages, production, traditions, awards won will not be considered advertising. Without knowing the grape varieties, the consumers of production methods did not have the opportunity to make an informed choice of wine, so this information was still found on bottle labels and on e-commerce websites.

   However, the legalization of broader cognitive and historical information is an important step that opens up opportunities for people to educate themselves and learn to recognize higher quality. In today’s world of free-moving people, it was still not possible to restrict such information in other languages.

   Now it will be possible to read it again in Lithuanian. And Lithuanian wine, mead, and spirits producers will be able to announce the medals won, in other words, the best quality drinks, with impunity.

2. Amendments to the AKI allow advertising to exclude information about combining alcoholic beverages with food, tastings of alcoholic beverages and food. The work of a sommelier is becoming legal again, and restaurants will no longer have to hide the fact that a glass of suitable red wine will be paired with the steak.

Winemakers offering tasting stations will not have to hide

The new permission to taste drinks at production sites is also welcome. When traveling around Lithuania, people want to visit small wineries, mead distilleries, vineyards, and taste their wine, as they do when traveling around Europe. Now the producer could only allow tastings of his wine by setting up a bar with a license to “consume on the premises” and, God forbid, someone would offer to taste the wine for free. Absurd ban lifted.

From the hall of the Seimas, real life can seem abstract, so it is welcome that this time the parliamentarians have approved concrete small changes that will make everyday life easier for the common man, and it will certainly justify the trust shown by the legislators in returning the freedom to the individual to make some decisions related to alcohol consumption. .