A recent $5.5 million settlement payment from one of the country’s largest alcoholic beverage wholesalers serves as a good reminder that California law restricts the amount of late fees and interest that can be charged in connection with the purchase and sale of alcoholic beverages to retailers. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 25509 provides that various alcoholic beverage manufacturers and wholesalers who sell and deliver alcoholic beverages to a retailer and who did not receive payment for such alcoholic beverages within 42 days of delivery shall charge the retailer 1% of the unpaid balance on the 43rd day and an additional 1% for each 30 days thereafter. In 2014, a Los Angeles-based retailer, Wiseman Park, LLC (“Wiseman”), brought an action against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, LLC (“Southern”) in connection with Southern’s attempt to collect not only the Section 25509 statutory late payment penalty, but also a 1% per month “ca

The Digest of Wine and Spirits Law is an essential compliance reference that helps wine and spirits professionals keep up with changes to laws and regulations affecting our industry. Anyone who needs to navigate the requirements for selling and marketing wine and distilled spirits will be benefitted by a subscription to this versatile resource. The Digest’s regulatory content is divided into separate Digests for every state and the District of Columbia, including separate listings in states that have both state-controlled distribution and private-sector distribution. Every State Digest is organized in a standardized, easy-to-follow format. Its information is divided into seventeen major topics and numerous subtopics, all of which are easily searchable on our website. We also offer a similar Federal Digest in which selected sections of the of Federal Regulations (CFR) are included for your convenience. Legal citations are included with the relevant text. These references allow y

Remember the days of thumbing through the phonebook looking for your state agency contact information only to find, when you placed the call, that the number had been changed since the phonebook was printed? And when you needed an out-of-state number, then what? Even these days, finding contact information on the web can be difficult. The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law takes the hassle out of finding the contact information you’re looking for with our comprehensive State Agencies page. On one page you will find contact numbers and addresses for the government offices involved in the regulation of the beverage alcohol industry. The Digest lists state alcohol agencies, tax authorities, and Secretaries of State, as well as links for further research into the rules and regulations that affect your business. The State Agencies page is regularly updated with current, correct information, taking the hassle out of getting the information you need. Contact us today to find out how The

As California’s New Mandatory Responsible Beverage Service Certification Deadline Looms, San Francisco Wine School Offers ABC Accredited Live Training for 1 Million Servers in Need

All alcoholic beverage servers & managers are required to certify for responsible beverage service by August 31, 2022, per the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control June 27, 2022 – […]

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has launched a new Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) portal to provide mandatory alcohol beverage service training and certification. Under the Responsible Beverage Services Training Act, starting on July 1, 2022, all California licensees with on-premise consumption privileges (including bars, restaurants, and wineries, breweries, and distilleries with tasting rooms) must require all alcohol beverage servers and managers to attend responsible beverage service training. All servers and managers in licensees’ employment as of July 1, 2022, must attend this training and pass an online RBS exam by August 30, 2022. If any servers or managers were hired after July 1, 2022, then they must attend training and pass the RBS exam within 60 days after their hire date. The ABC designed the RBS portal to be a one-stop shop for servers, managers, licensees, and RBS trainers and provides customized access based on user roles. Se