What is the point of a winery's web site making sure that the viewer is over 18?

I had the same thing happen on a you tube video of PDiddy beating his ex-girlfriend. I wasn’t wanting to see the video as I had already seen it, but I was wanting to hear a lawyer that I follow speak about the situation. I had to press the button that I was over 18 to witness such atrocities. Of course people are going to lie.

Legal requirement . . . if they lie they entered fraudulently!

^Yep. Puts the responsibility on the device owner.

Also, it may be possible for parental controls to recognize such prompts and then have the opportunity to engage safeguards. I’m not an expert on that stuff though, so I’m just hypothesizing. Resourceful kids will (of course) beat clueless parents every time, but it’s “something.”

^It’s plausible deniability.

You are attesting that you are of age. Legal responsibility disclaimer roles to you if you lie.

It’s about seeming to not be advertising alcoholic products to minors, which may be punishable in some jurisdictions.

There are similar situations with making programs for corporate app stores – you’re supposed to categorize your app as made/marketed for certain age groups, and then avoid certain kinds of content if you’re intended for use by certain age groups.

There is some not-entirely-crazy rationale for it. In the case of wine web sites, because the hyping of alcohol consumption is a thing in US culture, and without any effort to avoid it, no doubt for-profit alcohol companies would advertise to youth as much as they could get away with.

Not to say that age questions on wine web sites are really a worthwhile thing. More a CYA tactic that shouldn’t need to exist.

Also, some states allow you to order wines online. If you are ordering wine from a web site, they will need to “know” that you are of legal age.

@janbb sure, but purchasing is an entirely different category of transaction than viewing a website.