Wine to Stay in Liquor Stores

It looks like the much-debated motion to allow wine sales in New York liquor sales is no more. According to a report from Newsday.com, the budget agreement that's been reached in Albany has nixed the idea of granting liquor licenses to chain grocery stores. Presumably the owners of liquor stores across the state are jumping up and down with joy, ecstatic that they won't have the added competition. I'm not sure if this is the end of the debate, but it certainly looks that way.

From Newsday:

The Albany agreement on a 2009-10 budget eliminated a proposal to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets and other stores, a measure intended to help close the mounting state deficit. The move was applauded by independent liquor and wine store owners even as it was denounced by supporters of the proposal. Supporters of the proposal said the decision will cost New Yorkers millions of dollars in added revenue that would have been generated by licensing and other fees.