What are the laws with opeing a bottle of wine in Arizona?

I'm 16 and I work in a small cafe with a BYOB license. People have asked for help opening bottles of wine or champagne. I know that one has to be 19 to open and pour bottles of wine (or beer). However, is there a way around this? Like almost opening a bottle of wine and not pulling the cork completely out? Or is it just that I can't POUR the bottle of wine, but I can open it? A reference to a valid cite would be great, but any information would also be useful. Thanks!|||"Legal Age for Drinking/Serving Alcohol





Arizona 鈥檚 legal drinking age is 21, and servers in restaurants and bartenders must be 19. Retail workers (other than in package stores) may handle unopened alcoholic beverages at age 16 if a supervisor over the age of 19 is present. "


http://www.alcohollaws.org/arizonaalcoho鈥?/a>





I'd say not to handle it outright, since it maybe perceived as if your pouring it. However, you could be nitpicky and can argue as long as you don't completely take it out, it is still technically unopened and you are merely handling it and adjusting it for the customer.|||i think you can open a bottle of wine, just explain to your boss that you were trying to help.|||asa|||My first job was at a Restaurant that served alcohol where i worked my way up from a bus boy to be a bartender. Then in college i got a job at a Grocery store that had a substantial alcohol section. So i know a fair amount about the AZ laws regarding this.





It is legal in the state of AZ to work as a bartender at 19. This allows you to do everything but sample to booze yourself. You may sell, pour, open, stock on shelves, even sniff the wine to make sure hasn't been spoiled in some way. You simply cannot drink till you are 21.





Before the age of 19 you can have NOTING to do with alcohol. This was a pain at the grocery stores as most stock-boys are under 18. So managers would typically be the only ones in that section. If you are under 19, you cannot handle, pack, unpack, stock on shelves, or even pass from one person to the next any alcoholic beverage. Someone under 19 cannot even be the one to pack it into the grocery bags so you will frequently see the cashier be the one to bag your booze rather then the bag-boy.





The closest loophole is you may handle the packing container its in. So for example someone under 19 cannot put a bottle of wine into a grocery bag, but if there is a 6 pack of bottled beer in a cardboard carrier, you may grab the handle on the box to place it in the cart (you just cannot handle the glass bottles).





So there is no way you are allowed to help open a bottle. In fact technically cannot even pass them the bottle if they leave on a counter before sitting down. The most you can do is clean up a spill should something get poured out, or dispose of garbage left behind.








The best thing i can recommend is getting one of those electric wine openers that someone could use themselves. Basically its kinda like an electric can opener, you just stick it on top of the bottle and it pops the cork for you. They aren't too pricey and most people get a kick out of using it anyway. (see link below)