THE MOST INTERESTING THING about former SoCo winemaker LaMarion Spence’s idea to help wine tasters avoid DUI arrests (not mentioned in the Press Democrat’s story last week, of course) is the de facto admission that drunk driving is a major problem for the wine industry. When Mr. Spence ran his own tasting room in Sonoma County — he was the managing partner at the now defunct Roshambo Winery — Spence said, “I would watch people get drunk, get in a car and cross my fingers they’d get home safely,” adding that sometimes he had to take away car keys or take other measures to stop tasters from driving drunk. Spence proposes a sort of official Drunk Wine Drinker’s Club where members would get discounts on hotel rooms or custom taxi rides whenever they need one. Spence proposes that the wine industry help subsidize the cost as a service to their over-indulging customers. “It’s a community service that marries private enterprise with social responsibility,” Spence said. Some Sonoma County wine people are dubious about Spence’s idea. “I don’t think the statistics show drunk drivers come from wineries,” said Santa Rosa Councilman Steve Babb in a somewhat contradictory assessment. “I know it happens. But there’s a lot of chauffeuring, limousines and bus services and designated drivers hired.” Spence acknowledges that there are some “logistics problems” associated with the wine-drunk’s car if the drunk gets taken away in a hired-ride. If the inebriate gets a cheap ride home, the drunk’s car could be “valet-parked” at a city lot, or taken to the drunk’s destination of choice.
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