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Oklahomans Vote to Help Wineries Stay in Business PDF Print E-mail
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Wednesday, 05 November 2008 00:00

Four state questions were also put to the voters and everyone of them passed.  The first creates an exemption from property taxes for injured veterans.  Another basically requires individuals or businesses to file for that exemption upfront.  But one of them actually gives back power to local farmers to sell their own product, wine.  At the Canadian River Winery these vines will be dormant for a few months getting ready for the next spring to start growing more grapes.  But one thing that never stops is trying to get the product on the shelves, and making a distributor take the product to the liquor stores made it impossible for vineyards.

"One of the distributors would come pick it up and take it.  We wouldn't know where they took it or who was buying it," said Rae Clinton, the Taste room Manager of the Canadian River Winery. "I would have phone calls requesting our wine, and where to get it and I wouldn't know where to tell them but know hopefully we'll be able to do that.  There was no money was coming in, and we took a big loss from it."


Rae Clinton with Canadian River Winery in Slaughterville says going through distributors kept money and customers from coming in.  She hopes being able to sell directly to liquor stores will revive the business.

"We're already asking liquor stores if they're ready to have us back in their store, I ask them all the time and they're ready.  It's going to be cheaper for people to buy Oklahoma wines," Clinton described.

More than 1 million Oklahomans were in favor of giving the rights back to the growers.

"Oklahomans, and farmers all around the state work hard at what we do," Clinton explained. "And the grape growers who just have grapes, wineries will be able to buy the grapes.  Nobody was able to buy grapes because we had no business."

Creating a fruitful future to a growing a sector in Oklahoma agriculture.

"It'll benefit everybody, our customers, and people want Oklahoma products," Clinton concluded.

And with yesterday's 'yes' vote on the question here in Oklahoma, it could go into effect as soon as April.  But grape growers and vineyards don't want to wait that long.  They're pushing to get it into effect before the Christmas season, so they can get their product on the shelves.  The last question added a new section to the state constitution which gives Oklahomans the right to hunt and fish.

For more information on the Canadian River Winery go to:  http://www.canadianriverwinery.com/

 

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