Governor of New York: "It's OK to Drink in the Morning"

David Patterson, the Governor of New York, signed a bill this week that will allow NY wineries to begin their tastings on Sundays at noon - a full two hours earlier than previously permitted. The bill was designed to give a boost to vineyards look for a pick-me-up in this struggling economy. Moving the legal booze service hours up to earlier in the morning means that wineries can also begin tours earlier in the day as well.

The previous laws have been something of a thorn in the side of vineyard owners in the past. Have a look at an excerpt from a report based out of Buffalo -

"A quirk in state law was letting wineries sell bottles at 10 a.m. on Sundays, but they couldn't let buyers taste or drink the wine on their premises until noon.

Winery owners like Michael Von Heckler of Warm Lake Estate in Niagara County say those additional two hours could make a big difference, especially on what can be the busiest day of the week for wine tasting.

"We have people coming in at 11 o'clock or 11:30, and we have to tell them we can't serve them. They can buy wine, but we couldn't serve them before noon, so I think that's important especially for people who travel long distance," Von Heckler said."