[smackfu]

Stew Leonard's on the Berlin Turnpike has the wine shop entrance inside the store. I never really thought about how weird it is before.

And the small liquor store owners have a pretty decent lobbying group, so it's not so easy to change the laws to create more competition for them. (Usually the opposition is large alcohol distributors, who figure any additional sales are worth it.)

[CTartist&musician]

I buy Marsala wine at the Stop and Shop when I don't feel like going to the liquor store. I am pretty sure I remember seeing Sherry wine also. The Marsala I get at the Stop & Shop is Holland House and it says it has 14% alcohol.

[MisterStereoman]

Here in NYC the Whole Foods have a separate alcohol shop, with I think, it's own name, and certainly its own registers. Same for Costco. Supermarkets do not sell wine or liquor, period. I don't think liquor stores carry beer -- I wouldn't go to one for beer, they're usually very small, and beer takes more room for less profit, I imagine.
Don't have any issue with buying beer at any time or day, although perhaps rules are being broken? When I shop in CT it irks me the weird rules about alcohol. Can't shop too late? And in the supermarkets, they have to get some dude or dudette to "okay" the sale, which can take some time. Once I stood at the register in the express lane for quite a while, as others lined up behind me. Seemed real weird. Express? And someone comes and sticks in a key or pushes a button. Are they specially trained?

[Stylo]

Costco in Milford shares the same covered entrance for the store and wine/liquor, but separate entrances and registers.

I mostly shop at my little neighborhood shop, nicest owners: http://www.yelp.com/biz/milford-wine...pirits-milford

Wine & Spirits Co. by Shop Rite when I need a bigger selection. It's basically an independently owned BevMax/Wines & More sized place.

[MrGompers]

You can buy "cooking wine" with alcohol content in CT grocery stores. I wonder what would happen though if you tried to buy that wine after 9pm?

I always thought it was strange you could buy hard liquor in pharmacies in CT. That seems like a bad combination to me.

If you think liquor laws in CT are annoying PA is much worse. Be glad you don't live there.

[AnonChick]

Cooking wine has been treated with salt and isn't consumable other than in cooking. You don't need to be over 21 to buy it. It's considered a flavoring, not a beverage. Same as vanilla flavoring - standard "bourbon" distillation is around 17-22 proof (34-44% alcohol by volume).

Beer in CT generally doesn't go over 20%. There's probably a specification as to the ABV maximum for a beer permit, versus a beer-and-wine permit, versus an actual liquor permit.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

You can buy "cooking wine" with alcohol content in CT grocery stores. I wonder what would happen though if you tried to buy that wine after 9pm?

I don't think cooking wine is exactly drinkable. In any case, it's for sale in supermarkets that cannot sell any alcoholic beverages, so it must not be legally an alcoholic drink.

If you think liquor laws in CT are annoying PA is much worse.

State laws are all over the place. You want really annoying alcohol laws? Try Utah.

In Texas, you can buy beer and wine in just about any store that wants to sell it; grocery, drugstores, WalMart, lots of places. Availability seven days a week. Liquor is only sold in liquor stores, and they are not open Sundays.

Maine is convenient; one stop shopping for everything at the supermarket.

Question about CT: were the goofy looking canvas covers they pulled over the Stop & Shop beer displays (after sales hours and on Sundays before the changeover) required by law?

[Lalalally]

Originally Posted by CTartist&musician

I buy Marsala wine at the Stop and Shop when I don't feel like going to the liquor store. I am pretty sure I remember seeing Sherry wine also. The Marsala I get at the Stop & Shop is Holland House and it says it has 14% alcohol.

I'm pretty sure Holland House is cooking wine only -- I don't think you're supposed to drink it.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest

Question about CT: were the goofy looking canvas covers they pulled over the Stop & Shop beer displays (after sales hours and on Sundays before the changeover) required by law?

I think it's required by law, but I wouldn't know where to find that law.

In Michigan they have drive thru's at the package stores. Talk about encouraging drinking and driving.

I was in Indiana a couple years ago and the hotel I was staying at put up hand written signs by the elevators telling everyone "liquor stores are closed on Sunday's in Indiana" I guess they were getting enough questions to warrant the signs. I had no clue, but I can live without alcohol for one day.

As far as cooking wine and extracts go I believe you can get drunk off them if you really wanted to. It probably wouldn't taste good and perhaps you couldn't keep it down, but someone who was going thru withdrawal would probably try it. I have heard of people who tried getting drunk off mouthwash too.

[JayCT]

Connecticut law does require those covers in supermarkets if the store wants to stay open later than the liquor sales law allows. They also must announce warnings as the time comes close. Jay.