Bottle of white? Bottle of red?  Perhaps a bottle of rosé instead?

A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to make it easier to enjoy a bottle of wine with your dinner.

State Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) will introduce legislation to create a new category of liquor license for the state, which would allow restaurants to sell wine – and only wine – to its patrons.  The bill is another step towards the modernization of Pennsylvania’s liquor laws, which are among the most stringent controls in the nation.

Mr. Moul said the current state laws, which require restaurants to purchase a full liquor license in order to sell wine, are “anti-business” because they can cost more than $100,000 and are limited to about 15,000 licenses.

“I’m not interested in limiting the number of bona fide restaurants which can sell a glass of wine,” said Mr. Moul.  “We need to change the way we do things with alcoholic beverages in this state.”

The new category of licenses created by the legislation would not be subject to the quotas that the currently licensing system and will be available for a “nominal fee,” said Mr. Moul.  The fee will be set after consultation with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB).

Pat Conway, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, said providing the new category of licenses would reduce the value and significance of the licenses already purchased by some restaurants, undermining the investment made by those restaurant owners.

“We wouldn’t want to support anything that gives unlimited licenses because the businesses which have invested heavily in their licenses will be at a disadvantage,” said Mr. Conway.  He said the association supports some efforts at modernizing the state liquor system, but opposes any plan to devalue the cost of the existing licenses.

Liquor licenses are strictly limited by the PLCB and new licenses only become available when one establishment decided to give their up.  When they become available, licenses are auctioned to the highest bidder.

Liquor licenses can cost more than $300,000 in some parts of the state where demand for the licenses is high, said Mr. Conway.

Mr. Moul said the price is too high for many small restaurants.

“They are never able to make a profit on that license,” said Mr. Moul.

The new licenses proposed by Mr. Moul would have the same standards as the “E-Licenses” awarded by the PLCB, which allow restaurants to sell beer and other malt beverages, but not wine or liquor.  There are 456 active E-Licenses in the state, according to the PLCB.

In many rural parts of the state, simply obtaining a bottle of wine can be a challenge.  In Mr. Moul’s Adams County, there is only one state-run liquor store.  The county has a population of more than 91,000 spread over more than 522 square miles.

The bill is part of a series of provisions introduced by House Republicans aimed at modernizing the liquor system in the state.

Earlier this month, the House Liquor Control Committee approved three bills aimed at giving businesses more freedom in the sale of beer and liquor.  A major proposal from House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) to privatize the state’s system of 637 liquor stores and use the revenue to help balance the budget has been announced but not formally introduced.