Florida - Thursday March 28, 2024: At a news conference in Fort Lauderdale Thursday Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 583 which allows for the purchase and sale of wine in glass containers up to 15 liters.
“In Florida, we are always looking for ways to reduce regulation and improve our residents’ quality of life,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “If Floridians can purchase a large bottle of wine online from another state, they should be able to buy one from their local wine or grocery store.”
“This legislation has been a priority for me over the past five years, because I never saw it as good public policy to criminalize the sale of wine based on the container size,” said Representative Chip LaMarca. “I would like to thank all of the stakeholders through this process from Napa Valley to Tallahassee who made this a possibility. It is now time to FREE THE GRAPES!”
“This legislation will make it easier for more than 51,000 DBPR licensees to do business, and we thank Governor DeSantis, Representative LaMarca and others that helped make it a reality," said Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Melanie S. Griffin.
Under current Florida law, wine distributors and manufacturers are allowed to sell wine to other distributors and manufacturers in containers of any size, but everyday Floridians are prohibited from purchasing any wine in a container larger than one gallon. HB 583 increases the legal size of a bottle of wine available for purchase to 15 liters, which is almost four gallons.
Under the new law, wine will be allowed for purchase in many commonly used sizes, including:
- Methuselah (6 liters)
- Salmanazar (9 liters)
- Balthazar (12 liters)
- Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters)