Buying wine in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is one of those Bible Belt states with strict liquor control laws. Or maybe it's more funny liquor laws. When I was there years ago you could only get 3.2% beer in retail stores--and you could only buy it at room temp, not cold, to prevent drinking and driving. Everything else was available only in state-regulated package liquor stores. Except that it was funny how you could buy a pint of liquor and take it to a "club" and drink until 4 am off your own bottle.

Anyways, some of the more open-minded folks there want to allow wine sales in stores saying, "People just want to have wine with dinner." while others say, "It still has the same addictive qualities (as other alcohol)."

These folks are trying to get enough signatures to put this on the November ballot. Even at that the new law would stipulate only in large stores, only in the larger counties (?), and only after local voter okay.  I have no idea why it would only be allowed in counties with over 50,000 residents. Maybe you can't trust people in the more rural areas with a bottle of Cabernet?

Article from CBS News

My favorite line from the above article?  "The petition seeks a statewide vote on one of the biggest changes to Oklahoma's liquor laws since Prohibition was repealed in 1959."  Whoa, that's a half-century behind most of us. Anyway, it would be nice to see reasonableness prevail.

Chapel Creek Winery in El Reno OK
where they can actually sell their own wine!
Image from oklahomawines.org