For 50 years, New Jersey was limited by law to one winery license for every 1,000,000 state residents, which by 1980 effectively allowed for only seven wineries.
When he started, "it took us two years to get the winery license," Mr. Samant said.
A United States & South Africa winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site.
The infractions involved making wine for the French concern without a license to do so and possession of both a retail and a winery license, which is illegal.
Beginning in 1981, the state legislature relaxed Prohibition-era restrictions and crafted new laws to facilitate the growth of the industry and provide new opportunities for winery licenses.
This act effectively allowed anyone with a minimum of three acres and 1,200 vines to apply for a winery license.
A class of winery license known as the farm winery allows farms to produce and sell wines on site.
Before it was enacted, New Jersey provided only one winery license for each million residents and licenses were practically impossible to obtain.
At that time the wine industry in the Niagara consisted of five bulk wineries growing American ("non-vinifera") vines, and no winery licenses had been issued since 1929.
Governmental authorities consider the nectars to be wine and required that Summum obtain a winery license in order to make them.