Wayland Selectmen Monday night held off on approving temporary liquor licenses for two wineries interested in offering tastings during the Winter Farmers’ Market at Russell’s Garden Center.
 
The wineries, Still River Winery out of Harvard, Mass., and Westport Rivers Inc. out of Westport, Mass., each requested a one-day liquor license for wine to be sampled and sold for off-premises consumption on Saturdays only from Jan. 7, 2012, to March 10, 2012, at the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market.

The requests are virtually identical to other liquor license requests selectmen have previously approved, which, selectmen said, is largely their concern.

“I’m just concerned with the frequency,” said board chair Tom Fay.

Town Administrator Fred Turkington estimated that the approval of these liquor licenses would mean Russell’s Garden Center would host businesses offering samples and sales of alcohol for 40 weeks out of a 52-week, yearlong period.

“Forty weeks out of the year seems a bit much to me,” selectmen John Bladon said.

Selectmen stressed that they do not want to inhibit local business, but said they would like a representative from Russell’s to speak with them about the details of the wineries’ presence at the Winter Farmers’ Market.

Russell’s does not request the licenses for the tastings, rather the wineries serving at the farmers’ market do. Still, selectmen said they would be satisfied with a Russell’s representative answering their questions.

Selectmen Steve Correia wondered aloud how much wine is poured for each tasting and whether the servers had TIPS or other alcohol safety training. Correia said one winery serving tastes of a couple of wines is significantly different than two wineries serving tastes of six wines each.

“I would really like to know how many wines are being served,” Correia said.

In mid-2010, Massachusetts legislature approved the sale of local wines at farmers' markets. The operators of the markets must obtain liquor licenses from the local city or town in which they wish to sell. Initially, most communities approved the sale for one day at a time, not the entire season, which was the case for a Jan. 29, 2011, Wine Day at the Winter Farmers’ Market.

In June 2011, Wayland selectmen approved a seasonal liquor license for three wineries to participate in the Summer Farmers’ Market at Russell’s. It was the first time that selectmen had approved a seasonal license rather than a one-time license. The three wineries did not all serve in the same week, but rotated their appearances at the Summer Farmers’ Market.

Turkington said Wayland Police have not reported any incidents at Russell’s related to the wine tastings.

Selectmen did not approve the consent calendar Monday, which included the question of these two liquor licenses, and instead invited someone from Russell’s to attend a future meeting and discuss the questions raised.