A. Exempt from the procurement of any other license or permit issued pursuant to the terms of the Liquor Control Act [60-3A-1 NMSA 1978], but not exempt from the procurement of a competition permit, is a winemaker or winery licensed outside of New Mexico that desires to participate in a regional wine tasting or competition within New Mexico. One permit shall be issued by the director to an out-of-state winemaker or winery for the duration of the wine tasting or competition.

B. A person issued a competition permit pursuant to this section may do any of the following:

(1) bring no more than twenty-five cases of wine into New Mexico after indicating on his permit application the number of cases to be brought into the state;

(2) participate in the regional competition and any wine tastings associated with the competition for which the competition permit is issued;

(3) participate in the regional wine tasting for which the competition permit is issued; and

(4) at a wine tasting for which he is issued the permit, conduct tasting of wine and sell by the glass or bottle or in unbroken packages for consumption off the wine tasting premises but not for resale, wine brought into the state by him for the wine tasting or competition.

C. Every application for the issuance of a competition permit shall be on a form prescribed by the director and accompanied by a permit fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).

D. As used in this section:

(1) "competition" means an event at which a jury of wine tasters compares the quality of the wines entered for judging and at which prizes are offered for the wines judged to be of the best quality;

(2) "regional competition" means a competition at which the wines to be judged are from more than one state or country;

(3) "regional wine tasting" means a wine tasting at which the wines offered for tasting are from more than one state or country;

(4) "winemaker" means a person who manufactures or produces wine;

(5) "winery" means an establishment at which wine is manufactured or produced and that is licensed for that purpose by the state or country in which it is located; and

(6) "wine tasting" means an event at which wines are offered for tasting but not necessarily for sale and not for comparison for the purpose of awarding prizes to the wines of the best quality.

History: Laws 1998, ch. 109, § 7.