Published: November 26, 2008 08:40 am      

To sell wine, or not to sell wine ...

Residents debate Sunday winery sales

“I think of what Abraham said: ‘Will not all the earth do right?’ I ask: Will not the judge of Madison County, in regards to this, do right?”

Roger Baker, pastor of Madison Baptist Church, asked this question Tuesday at a public forum to discuss the possibility of Sunday wine sales at Acres of Land Winery on Barnes Mill Road.

Those in opposition were allowed to speak first to the standing-room-only audience inside the fiscal court chambers at the Madison County Courthouse.

“Not only am I a pastor of a church, but I’m also Chaplain at the Madison County Detention Center,” Baker said. “I hear the sad stories and the sorrows. I hear about the embarrassment from those who have been involved (with alcohol abuse).”

Baker told the county magistrates that a voting in favor of the proposal would be a move “in the wrong direction.”

Kenny Davis Jr., pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Berea, began by affirming that he had no animosity toward Lowell Land, owner of Acres of Land Winery, but that the vote at hand was not simply an economic decision.

“This vote will encompass much more than simple economics,” Davis said. “As a concerned citizen, I can quite honestly say that I have never seen anything positive come from the consumption of alcohol in any form or on any day. But, I can recall many incidents, some of a personal nature as well as some that were very public in nature, where the consumption of alcohol lead to tragedy and unwanted consequences.”

Sunday is the day when most Americans worship, he said, and a favorable vote to the proposal would “chip away at the sanctity of the day,” he said. “Whether you agree or disagree with me, I have spoken from my convictions, and my conscious will be clear when I lay my head on my pillow tonight.”

Davis was followed by Dennis Brewer, pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Richmond and representative of the Kentucky Ethics League and the Tates Creek Association for Southern Baptist Churches in the county.

“It’s safe to say that our association is very much opposed, not only to this, but also the sale of alcohol in any venue,” he said.

Pat Newsome, vice president of economic development for the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, began the second half of the forum.

“It is our opinion that since the opening of his winery and restaurant, Mr. Land has made a significant contribution to the tourism in this area,” she said. “Many of the travelers who pass through this area on Sunday are disappointed when they make the drive from the Interstate to the winery only to find that they cannot purchase this product.”

The growing of grapes and selling of wine has become a $530 million industry in the state of Kentucky, Newsome said. “We can’t ignore what this would mean in terms of tax dollars for our local government and also for our community members.”

City Commissioner-elect Rita Smart, who also is a retired Madison County Extension Agent and owner of Bennett House Bed and Breakfast, applauded Land for developing his business “the right way.”

“He came up with a business development plan and went to Atlanta to go through training for a commercial kitchen license to do it the right way,” Smart said.

Smart was active in assisting farmers who were at a loss when Madison County lost approximately 80 percent of their tobacco revenue.

“When tobacco went out, we at the extension office started a program to diversify farmers so that they could continue to work on their farm and keep their land,” Smart said. “Some of them chose to do things such as grow pumpkins, gourds or corn mazes.”

Land was the last to speak on his own behalf.

“The first thing that I want you to know is that we are not a bar,” he said. “We are not even a restaurant that sells mixed drinks.”

The Land farm was first a tobacco farm that was devastated, along with many others, by the statewide “tobacco buyout.”

“We had to do something to hold on to our family farm, and my choice was to go with the winery,” Land said. “I did a lot of research and found out that we could grow good grapes here.”

About 40,000 people visited the winery in its first year of operation.

“Now that is bringing a lot of money into Madison County,” he said.

The land also is used to grow a variety of different vegetables, they support other local growers and eventually want to raise their own beef to be used in the restaurant.

“We’re doing anything we can to help our farmers, to help Madison County and to help ourselves,” he said.

Tuesday’s forum was for the purpose of discussing Sunday bottle sales only. If passed, the ordinance would not pertain to individual glass sales, but would only allow Sunday customers to drink the thimble-sized cup so that they can decide which kind of wine they want to purchase, Clark said.

No date was set as to when the fiscal court will vote on the matter, however, the next regular fiscal court meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 in the fiscal court chambers inside the Madison County Courthouse.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.