Instacart is teaming up with Wegmans Food Markets to bring alcohol delivery to New Jersey just in time for the holiday season.

After being granted approval by the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the on-demand grocery delivery platform is giving customers the ability to have alcohol from Wegmans stores or all independently owned Wegmans Wine, Liquor & Beer locations delivered directly to their doorstep in as fast as an hour.

In a press release announcing the Nov. 30 launch of service, Instacart Vice President of Retail Partnerships Ryan Hamburger said the company “is proud to unlock alcohol delivery in New Jersey for the first time ever.”

“By partnering with Wegmans to bring alcohol delivery and pickup to the Instacart App in New Jersey, we’re able to deliver customers a seamless shopping experience that gives them access to Wegmans’ wide selection of alcohol, alongside prepared foods, fresh groceries and household essentials — all delivered from the store to their door in as fast as an hour,” said Hamburger, who noted the company already powers the service in 27 other states, plus Washington, D.C.

After partnering in 2017 to offer same-day delivery, Wegmans and Instacart have expanded their relationship to include pickup, EBT SNAP acceptance and loyalty program integration.

Scott Payne, N.J. director of wine, beer and spirits operations at Wegmans, commented, “Our New Jersey customers have enjoyed the convenience of ordering beer, wine, and spirits, along with the rest of their groceries, for curbside pickup, and we’re excited to add delivery as an option. With this additional service, we want to help our customers spend less time getting ready for the holidays, and more time celebrating.”

Since Instacart first started offering alcohol delivery in other states in 2013, the company says it has developed numerous safety and compliance measures, including a “robust internal training program” that shoppers must complete before being permitted to deliver alcohol. According to the company, the curriculum covers topics such as verifying valid and unexpired IDs, confirming the recipient of an alcohol order is over the age of 21 and verifying an ID matches the recipient of the alcohol. It also emphasizes that alcohol may not be delivered to someone visibly intoxicated and that alcohol must never be left unattended, Instacart said.

Within New Jersey, Wegmans has supermarkets with attached liquor stores in Montvale, Hanover, Bridgewater, Princeton, Woodbridge, Manalapan, Ocean, Mount Laurel and Cherry Hill.

To begin shopping for alcohol from Wegmans, customers can visit Wegmans.com; the Wegmans app; or a Wegmans storefront on the Instacart app and website, and then search for wine, beer or spirits to find Wegmans stores offering alcohol delivery in their area.

Earlier this month, DoorDash became the first third-party company in New Jersey to offer alcohol delivery in the state. The company – which added alcohol to its on-demand marketplace in 2020 – now delivers the products in 35 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

The launches by DoorDash and Instacart come about a year after the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control adopted a special rule to permit bars, restaurants and liquor stores in New Jersey to use third-party delivery services to reach customers.