The last, faint tint of color in Tennessee's blue laws will be pretty much washed away on New Year's Day when a law takes effect allowing Sunday wine sales in grocery stores.
It's the last step in a package of liberalized liquor laws passed in April by the Tennessee General Assembly, which gave package liquor stores a 10-month head start on Sunday and most holiday sales.
Rick Bishop, vice president of operations for Food City's Chattanooga region, said customers will welcome consistent rules for buying wine, especially after a complicated start to 2018.
"Last year, we couldn't sell on New Year's Eve [a Sunday] or New Year's Day [a holiday], which really confused a lot of our customers. This year, we'll be able to sell on both," Bishop said. Food City operates 83 stores in Tennessee and 20 in the Chattanooga region, he added.
"Customers have been in touch with us for the last year wanting this, and that's really what pushes us - what our customers ask for, we try to provide," Bishop said.
Sunday wine sales in groceries will start Jan. 6, the first Sunday of the month. Sales hours will be the same as for liquor stores, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sales also are permitted on New Year's Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, but not on Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The bill was sponsored by former Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, and Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro.
State lawmakers have worked for several years to loosen the state's alcohol laws.
They passed a measure in 2014 that allowed grocery-store wine sales as well as allowing retail liquor stores to start selling beer, mixers, foods and other items previously off-limits. Grocery store sales didn't actually become legal until 2016, but customers found the rules confusing - for instance, they could buy beer but not wine on Sundays.
Lawmakers in 2017 voted to allow Tennessee brewers to make high-alcohol-content beers for sale and expanded sales of such items from liquor stores to grocery and convenience stores.
And in April, lawmakers approved Sunday and most holiday sales immediately for retail liquor stores but put off grocery wine sales until Jan. 1, 2019.
The bill sparked spirited debate, especially by lawmakers citing Sunday as the the Christian Sabbath, but McCormick, then House majority leader, focused his persuasive efforts on the idea of business and personal freedom.
"The purpose again in bringing this bill is to give consumers who are our constituents and businesses the ability to make their own decisions regarding the purchase and sale of these products instead of the current system that has the government telling them what they can do and what they can't do," McCormick said at the time.
Contact staff writer Judy Walton at jwalton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.