Pennsylvania state liquor laws are notoriously restrictive compared to liquor laws in other states, and have long frustrated the state’s wine aficionados. All wine is sold at Wine and Spirits shops that are owned and regulated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and supermarkets are prohibited from selling wine off their own shelves as they would be able to do in other states. For some time now, supermarkets have been trying out ways to circumvent these laws. One way has been to build an in-house restaurant attached to the store itself, which operates under other regulations but still permits the sale of wine. A new way, just now rolling out in Pennsylvania, is the automated wine kiosk.

Simple Brands LLC, a Pennsylvania company, has devised the “Pronto” kiosk, what amounts to a wine bottle “vending machine.” It stocks a variety of different bottles at prices ranging from $5.99 to $39.99—most of which one could readily find at supermarkets anywhere else in the nation. A customer will select his or her bottle, and then be required to go through the following steps in order for the machine to grant them their purchase:

• You scan your driver’s license to prove you are 21 years old.
• A Liquor Control Board employee, via high-resolution video communication technology, makes sure that the photo on the ID matches the person standing at the kiosk screen.
• The customer blows at a sensitive breathalyzer sensor to prove their legal sobriety.

After passing these tests, only then may they retrieve their selected bottle. Additionally, and notably, the wine kiosk also charges a $1 “convenience” fee.

While some wine buyers praise the opportunity that the new wine kiosks will afford them, others find the system convoluted and unappealing. The video screening in particular strikes them as something out of George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, and the idea of paying an extra “convenience” charge on a process that seems inconvenient seems ridiculous. The ideal situation for these consumers, of course, would be to change the liquor laws of Pennsylvania entirely.

What do you think about the wine kiosk? Is it an idea that could work, with slight differences based on local liquor laws, in other states? Is it even a good idea, in your opinion for your fellow wine drinkers in Pennsylvania? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.