Dear Sir,

I was surprised to learn that Goslings was taken to task for hosting wine tastings at its premises on Dundonald Street and threatened with penalties by the Liquor Licensing Authority.

I prefer not to drink, but for years I have been aware of the tastings, have been hosted by service providers at receptions on the site, and one year my own firm hosted a Christmas dinner on the premises for its staff. The space, which is separate from its liquor store and without a bar, was warm, charming, quiet and respectable. No one was forced to drink and, as is my custom, I chose not to and no one seemed to mind.

I thought it unusual that a practice that is common in other jurisdictions and has been practised here in Bermuda without complaint for several decades would suddenly come under assault by the Liquor Licensing Authority.

So I investigated the issue through various articles published by your newspaper and noted that the head of the liquor licensing board, Juan Wolffe, had held a series of hearings in April on the matter but — from The Royal Gazette’s reporting — no mention was made of wine tastings; rather, membership clubs serving liquor to non-members and restaurants converting to nightclubs but not paying the licensing fee of a nightclub.

I was pleased to learn that Mr Wolffe had held these hearings, which I am sure facilitated communication between the authority and its regulated industries. I wondered why, in this instance, consultation did not take place between the authority and Goslings and Burrows Lightbourn before these letters were issued. As noted by Charles Gosling, this is the custom in other jurisdictions, and legal opinions on the law offer a wide range of interpretation.

Surely, collaboration between the LLA and Goslings and Burrows Lightbourn would offer constructive insights for updating and clarifying the law so that such tastings can continue subject to certain constraints. Collaboration did not occur in this instance. Why not? And why did The Royal Gazette not report on this lack of collaboration.

ROBERT R. PIRES