Commission allows for beer, wine tasting at La Cañada Ralphs

Shoppers at the La Cañada Ralphs grocery store will soon be able to partake in free alcohol tastings, after the Planning Commission approved last week a permit allowing samples of beer, wine and spirits to be served on the premises.

Although alcohol tastings are currently allowed at three other locations in town — Vendome Wine and Sprits, Remedy Liquor and Gelson’s Market — only 14 of California’s 209 Ralphs stores feature such an offering, according to Kendra Doyel, the company’s vice president of public relations for California.

The move is a way to add more value to the shopping experience by letting customers try new products before they purchase them, she said.

“When you look at grocery shopping, it used to really be a chore for people,” Doyel said. “It’s now turned into more of an experience. More people want to come and taste. They want to come and smell. They want to come and be a part of the entire experience of food and all that it has become in our culture.”

The Gelson’s Market in La Cañada, which advertises free wine and spirits tastings on Fridays from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on its online calendar, applied for a use permit last October, according to Harriet Harris, an assistant planner for the city. Remedy Liquor, just blocks away from the two grocery chains, got a permit to offer tastings in January 2013.

Rules regulating tastings at retail businesses with off-sale liquor licenses, where alcohol may be purchased but is not typically consumed, are specified in an industry advisory written by California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Harris said.

That document stipulates that businesses with an instructional tasting license — referred to as a Type 86 license — limit tastings to between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., prohibit open containers outside the indicated area and keep distilled spirit samples to one-fourth of one ounce per serving, among other rules.

Since much of the regulation falls in the hands of the state, granting a conditional use permit is a pretty straightforward matter for the commission, Harris said. The city mainly considers the potential adverse affects on the property, such as an increase in traffic, which is not very likely in these scenarios, she added.

“There’s not typically a whole lot of issues. We’re just adding to an existing use, and it’s such a minor addition,” Harris said.

Doyel confirmed tastings at Ralphs will be conducted by a representative provided by the store’s suppliers, as opposed to a store employee, and will be free for customers who have a valid ID.

“We strictly follow all ABC rules and regulations,” Doyel added.