"Wine auction license" defined; issuance of license; restrictions; payment of taxes; delivery, storage, warehousing, and delivery of wine; sale and resale of wine purchases at auction.

(1) As used in this section, "wine auction license" means a license issued by the commission to sell wine by auction, subject to the following: (a) The wine is sold through an auction by a person that is licensed as a specially designated merchant or through a seller that is a partner with a specially designated merchant, as evidenced by a written agreement of the parties. (b) The owner of the wine is not licensed under this act. (c) The wine is part of a private collection owned by a person that is not licensed under this act. (d) The specially designated merchant ensures that each bottle sold from the private collection has a permanently affixed tag or label stating that the wine was acquired from a private collection. (2) If it receives a completed application and the license fee described in section 525(1)(aa), the commission shall issue a wine auction license to a person licensed as a specially designated merchant, or a seller that is a partner with a specially designated merchant, who is arranging for the sale of wine by an owner that is not licensed under this act. The commission shall issue the license for a term of 1 year. The license allows the licensee to hold not more than 12 auctions per license year. (3) The license restrictions prescribed under this section and under this act are in addition to those requirements and prescriptions imposed by any local law or ordinance, or resolution of the local unit of government. (4) The holder of the wine auction license is responsible for the payment of any applicable sales or excise taxes regarding the sale of the wine by auction. (5) The holder of the wine auction license is responsible for the delivery, storing, and warehousing of the wine offered for sale and for the delivery of the wine to the purchasers. (6) A person that is licensed to sell wine at wholesale or retail may purchase any wine offered at an auction under this section and may resell that wine in accordance with the terms of the license, if at the time of sale the tag or label remains permanently affixed to the bottle. (7) The sale and resale of wine purchased at auction is subject to this act and any rules of the commission promulgated under this act.