Wegmans Tries Wine-by-the-Glass Vending

JULIE GALLAGHER

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Wegmans Food Markets is testing a self-serve wine-by-the-glass machine in its Market Café here, according to published reports.

Shoppers must use a prepaid card to interact with the machine that’s permissible due to Wegmans’ restaurant liquor license. Tastes of eight wines including Hob Nob Chardonnay, Covey Run Riesling, Smoking Loon Pinot Grigio, Hob Nob Pinot Noir, Blackstone Merlot and Yellow Tail Cabernet are available. A 5-ounce glass costs $6 to $10; a 2.5-ounce serving costs about half; and a sample, $1 to $2, according to the report.

This is not Wegmans' first experience with self-service wine machines. About 10 of the chain’s Pennsylvania locations house machines that dispense bottles of wine under a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board program. But the PLCB temporarily pulled the plug on these and 18 other kiosks in the state late last year due to a glitch that prevented shoppers from retrieving bottles of wine they'd paid for. The kiosks are just now coming back online as manufacturer Simple Brands completes repairs, Stacey Witalec, a spokeswoman for the PLCB, told SN.

"Hopefully by the end of the week all 28 will be operational," she said. The PLCB plans to install the machines in 70 additional stores, including four more Wegmans locations.