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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 3. Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control
Agency 5. Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority
Chapter 70. Other Provisions
12/22/2024

3VAC5-70-150. Wholesale alcoholic beverage sales; winery and brewery discounts, price-fixing; price increases; price discrimination; inducements.

A. No winery as defined in § 4.1-401 or brewery as defined in § 4.1-500 of the Code of Virginia shall require a wholesale licensee to discount the price at which the wholesaler shall sell any alcoholic beverage to persons holding licenses authorizing sale of such merchandise at retail. No winery, brewery, bottler or wine or beer importer shall in any other way fix or maintain the price at which a wholesaler shall sell any alcoholic beverage.

B. No winery as defined in § 4.1-401 or brewery as defined in § 4.1-500 of the Code of Virginia shall increase the price charged any person holding a wholesale license for alcoholic beverages except by written notice to the wholesaler signed by an authorized officer or agent of the winery, brewery, bottler or importer which shall contain the amount and effective date of the increase.

No increase shall take effect prior to 30 calendar days following the date on which the notice is postmarked; provided that the board may authorize such price increases to take effect with less than the aforesaid 30 calendar days' notice if a winery, brewery, bottler or importer so requests and demonstrates good cause therefor.

The provisions of this subsection shall not apply in any case where the importer required to provide notice of a price increase and the wholesaler to whom notice is to be provided are the same person.

C. No winery as defined in § 4.1-401 or brewery as defined in § 4.1-500 of the Code of Virginia shall discriminate in price of alcoholic beverages between different wholesale purchasers except where the difference in price charged by such winery or brewery is due to a bona fide difference in the cost of sale or delivery, or where a lower price was charged in good faith to meet an equally low price charged by a competing winery or brewery on a brand and package of like grade and quality. Where such difference in price charged to any such wholesaler does occur, the board may ask and the winery or brewery shall furnish written substantiation for the price difference.

D. No person holding a license authorizing the sale of alcoholic beverages at wholesale shall knowingly induce or receive a discrimination in price prohibited by subsection C of this section.

Statutory Authority

§ 4.1-111 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR125-01-7 § 15, eff. December 12, 1985; amended, Virginia Register Volume 3, Issue 1, eff. November 12, 1986; Volume 5, Issue 2, eff. November 24, 1988; Volume 6, Issue 2, eff. November 23, 1989; Volume 7, Issue 4, eff. December 19, 1990; Volume 8, Issue 6, eff. January 15, 1992; Volume 9, Issue 6, eff. January 13, 1993; Volume 10, Issue 11, eff. March 23, 1994; Volume 23, Issue 13, eff. May 19, 2007; Volume 30, Issue 6, eff. December 18, 2013.

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