The Marietta City Council has passed an ordinance allowing for specialty wine and beer retailers to sell their products by the glass outside of scheduled tastings — an update to the 2015 license that prevented such sales and restricted tastings to two hours each day with a serving size of two ounces.
Marietta Wine Market owner Karen Heard, who opened the store in 2005 with her husband Randall, told council members that those regulations limited their ability to provide a full customer experience and stay competitive.
The store garnered 1,031 signatures on a change.org petition requesting that Marietta offer retail pouring. Heard said community members also attended public meetings and reached out to council members on the store’s behalf.
“When people come to the square, they want to stay all day here,” Heard said. “Making the changes allows people to have a glass of wine before lunch, and then come back later in the day if they want to go to a show and listen to music.”
Even with the expanded options approved last week, Marietta Wine Market will continue to offer its traditional charity wine tastings twice a week, with proceeds given to local organizations.
Council member M. Carlyle Kent said the new ordinance will significantly impact the store, a “vital part of the downtown market.” The change only affects specialty markets — retailers with 80% or more of sales from wine or beer.
So far, only the Marietta Wine Market has expressed an interest in retail pouring, according to Kent. He said other craft beer and wine locations could qualify under the updated license, but he’s not sure how many are interested.
Marietta City Council passed two other ordinances related to alcohol sales last week.
Bars and restaurants with an alcohol license can now sell unopened bottles of alcohol in-store, and vendors may now sell liquor in addition to wine and beer when roads are blocked off during special events, such as Chalktoberfest.
Marietta implemented a permanent open container district in the downtown area back in 2021. Visitors may carry an alcoholic beverage from a licensed establishment in the entertainment district provided it contains 12 ounces or less within a clear plastic cup.
