Licenses to Auction Vintage Wine in Missouri

Annotated Missouri Statutes
Title XX. Alcoholic Beverages
Chapter 311. Liquor Control Law (Refs & Annos)
Licenses and Regulations

311.191. Vintage wine, definition--sale of vintage wine through auction, authorized sellers--licenses to auction--auction conducted, where, no consumption, issuance period, fee--shipment out of state--tastings--auctioneer subject to regulations--penalty

1. As used herein, the term “vintage wine” means bottled domestic white, rose or sparkling wine which is not less than five years old, domestic red wine which is not less than ten years old, or imported white, rose, red, sparkling or port wine which is not less than three years old.
2. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, any municipality or person legally owning, controlling or possessing a private collection of vintage wines in their original packages, including an executor, administrator, personal representative, guardian or conservator of an estate, sheriff, trustee in bankruptcy, or person appointed or authorized by a court to act upon or execute a court order or writ of execution with regard to the disposition of that vintage wine, is authorized to sell that vintage wine at auction on consignment through an auctioneer licensed herein. The auctioneer involved in such sale shall ensure that each bottle of vintage wine sold from a private collection has a permanently fixed label stating that the bottle was acquired from a private collection.
3. The supervisor of liquor control is hereby authorized to issue a license to conduct auctions of vintage wine to any person licensed as an auctioneer pursuant to chapter 343 and regularly conducting business as an auctioneer at a fixed location in this state within a city in a county of the first classification with a charter form of government; provided, however, that no such license to auction vintage wine may be issued to any person, or any entity controlled in whole or in part by a person, who:
(1) Has been convicted of a felony or of any offense under this chapter;
(2) Either possesses a current license to sell intoxicating liquor at wholesale or retail, or previously possessed such a license which was revoked for cause; or
(3) Has not been continuously in business in this state as an auctioneer for a period of ten years prior to making application for such license to auction vintage wine. The license to auction vintage wine shall be in addition to any license or permit requirements imposed by ordinance within the county or municipal jurisdictions in which the auctioneer conducts such business.
4. No auction of vintage wine may be conducted off the business premises of the auctioneer. No vintage wine sold at auction shall be consumed on the premises of the auctioneer, nor shall any original package of vintage wine be opened on such premises in the course of any such auction, except as provided herein. A license to conduct auctions of vintage wine shall be issued for a period of one year and shall authorize the auctioneer to conduct not more than six auctions of vintage wine during such year. The license shall be issued in such form and upon the completion of such application as may be required by the supervisor of liquor control. The fee for such license shall be five hundred dollars per year.
5. A municipality or person legally owning, controlling or possessing a private collection of vintage wines in their original packages may ship the vintage wine in such packages from any location within the State of Missouri to an auctioneer licensed pursuant to this act. Upon receipt of the vintage wine the auctioneer shall be responsible for the storage and warehousing thereof, for the labeling thereof pursuant to the requirements of subsection 2 of this section, for the delivery of the vintage wine to the purchasers at auction, and for the payment and transfer of any applicable state and local taxes in connection with the auction sale.
6. An auctioneer licensed to sell vintage wine pursuant to this section may hold vintage wine tastings on the premises where an auction of such vintage wine is to be conducted within the period of twenty-four hours immediately preceding the commencement of the auction.
7. An auctioneer licensed pursuant to this section shall be subject to all restrictions, regulations and provisions of this chapter governing the acquisition, storage and sale of intoxicating liquor for off-premises consumption which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section.
8. An auctioneer who affixes a label to any bottle of vintage wine, as provided in subsection 2 of this section, without having determined through the exercise of reasonable diligence that the wine was acquired from a bona fide private collection, shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor and, upon a finding of or plea of guilty with regard to any such misdemeanor, shall be subject to cancellation of the license issued pursuant to subsection 3 of this section.

Cite as Mo. Ann. Stat. § 311.191