In Virginia, Serving Sangria Could Land You in Jail

There are days that I think Virginia goes out of its way to make the entire state look stupid and idiotic. Of course when alcohol is involved, the ABC Board imposes all kinds of ridiculous requirements, most of which are aimed at (1) raking in money through the state's monopoly on hard liquor sales and/or (2) making life difficult for those the Southern Baptist minded ABC folks don't like - like gays and clubs that cater to them. This article from Raw Story highlights one of the ABC Boards more ridiculous rules. As I have said before, find me a job elsewhere and I'm out of this backward ninny state. Here are a few highlights (http://rawstory.com/news/afp/In_Virginia_serving_sangria_could_l_01242008.html):

Serving the traditional Spanish beverage of sangria could land you in hot water in the southern state of Virginia, but lawmakers were debating Thursday whether to legalize the tapas bar favorite. "We have a code in Virginia that says no distilled spirit may be added to wine or beer prior to a customer's order," Kristy Marshall, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control agency, told AFP.

"A lot of restaurants like to pre-mix a drink in the morning and have one big batch to serve throughout the day. It's the pre-mixing that makes it illegal, a "class one misdemeanor, punishable by a 2,500 dollars fine and/or 12 months in jail," Marshall said.

Sangria, which is usually a blend of red wine, brandy and cut fruit, is often served in jugs or punch bowls, and more often than not pre-mixed to allow the flavors to flow together. Early Thursday, lawmakers at the state legislature began debating whether to legalize sangria in Virginia, an official said.