To amend section 4301.13 of the Revised Code to allow retail liquor permit holders to offer a discount on dealcoholized wine under specified circumstances.
Summary
HB218 would amend Ohio’s liquor control law governing bottled wine pricing to require the Liquor Control Commission to allow retail liquor permit holders to offer a 10% discount on each bottle in a qualifying case of wine sold to a personal consumer. The bill also extends that same 10% per-bottle discount to dealcoholized wine, but only when the dealcoholized beverage is purchased in the same transaction as a case of wine. In practical terms, the measure creates a limited pricing exception within the state’s minimum-price framework for wine sales.
The bill defines a “case” as six to twelve bottles of wine, which may be mixed by brand, variety, or volume, and defines “dealcoholized beverage” as wine processed to contain less than one-half of one percent alcohol by volume. It would amend Revised Code section 4301.13, which already authorizes the commission to regulate wine pricing and minimum markups, by adding a specific discount rule for retail permit holders. The existing section would be repealed and replaced with the revised language.
Impact
HB218 would modify Ohio Revised Code section 4301.13, the statute governing the Liquor Control Commission’s authority over bottled wine pricing, minimum markups, and retail sale rules. The bill would not broadly deregulate wine pricing, but it would create a narrow statutory exception allowing retail permit holders to discount dealcoholized wine when sold alongside a case of wine, and to continue offering the existing case discount on bottled wine. Retail liquor permit holders, wine consumers, and the Liquor Control Commission would be the primary affected parties.
Sentiment
The available context shows the bill was introduced and referred to the House Community Revitalization Committee, with no recorded votes or committee testimony provided. Based on the text alone, the measure appears modest and technical rather than controversial, aimed at giving retailers flexibility to discount a niche product category. There is no evidence in the provided materials of organized opposition or support, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s straightforward, limited-purpose framing.
Contention
The main policy issue is the interaction between Ohio’s minimum wine pricing rules and the proposed discount for dealcoholized wine. Supporters would likely view the bill as a small market adjustment that allows retailers to promote nonalcoholic or low-alcohol wine products, while any concern would center on whether the exception could weaken price controls or create uneven treatment among wine products. Because the bill is limited to a discount tied to the purchase of a case of wine, the contention appears likely to be narrow and focused on pricing policy rather than broader alcohol regulation.
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