Wine in grocery stores?

  A proposal from Governor Paterson could let you buy wine at Wegmans or any other grocery store. It's part of the governor's proposed budget this year, but some local business owners say it will do more harm than good.

"If it isn't broke, why fix it?" John Ingle, owner of Herron Hill Winery, said. "You know, they're tampering with something that is going pretty good."

Ingle says he's against a proposal in Governor Paterson's budget that would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine.  Paterson estimates that the state can raise more than $100 million by charging stores various fees to sell wine, but Ingle says he's doubtful about the proposal.

"They've got a $15 billion deficit, and all of a sudden they're going around whacking every beehive they can, seeing what's going to work," he said.

Ingle says letting big supermarkets sell wine could put small liquor stores, like East Avenue Liquor, out of business. East Avenue Liquor's owner, Nelson Habecker, has started a petition against the proposal.

"We don't feel it's going to make half the money they suspect it's going to make," Habecker said.

Habecker says New York might gain money in new fees, but will lose out in tax revenues when hundreds of small liquor stores go bankrupt.

"My hope is we can have it taken out of the bill and find some other way to make the budget balance," Habecker said. "We want to work with them, of course, but we need to know that we have a secure future to be able to do that. If you allow wine to go to grocery stores, it's pretty much a stab in our heart."

Thirty-five states currently allow grocery stores to sell wine. An official from Wegmans said the chain does plan to carry wines-- especially local wines-- if the proposal is passed. Some shoppers think that's a pretty good idea.

"I'm sure for the average consumer it would probably be one-stop shopping," said Wegmans shopper Jennifer Wheeler.

"They'll still go to the liquor stores," shopper John Danielowicz said. "The prices are competitive. The grocery stores aren't going to undercut them that much, so I think everybody will get a fair shake of the business."

There are about 2,400 liquor stores in New York that sell wine, but if this proposal passes, shoppers will be able to buy wine in more than 16,000 grocery stores across the state.

The governor's proposal still needs to be approved by the state Legislature, which is supposed to pass the budget by April.