Hosting a wine tasting event without a liquor license

We often receive enquiries about the licensing requirements for hosting a wine tasting event. These enquiries usually come from people without a liquor license and from license holders who want to host tastings at a venue other than their licensed premises. In many cases, organisers need an event liquor license. The Act, however, provides a specific exemption.

The Western Cape Liquor Act (“the Act”) states that no one may sell wine to the public without a valid liquor license. It also states that license holders may only sell or supply wine from their licensed premises.

The exemption allows anyone to host a wine-tasting event and charge an entrance or tasting fee, but the event must meet the following requirements:

• The host may only serve wine in quantities of less than 200 ml (a standard glass is 150 ml).
• The event may not run longer than two hours.
• The host may not sell wine to take away.

Although attendees may not buy wine to take home, organisers may still advertise wine for sale. They may also take orders at the event. They may not, however, accept payment at the event, because that counts as a sale and requires a liquor license. Licensed premises, such as the wine estate or an authorised storage facility, must handle all payments and dispatch the orders.

Many law enforcement officers do not know about this exemption. To avoid interruptions, we encourage hosts and organisers to contact us. We can help set up precautionary measures for their wine-tasting events.