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A Lewiston beer and wine distributor that employs 150 people is among the critics of a bill before the Legislature that would allow more out-of-state sellers to ship wine to Maine consumers.
The bill expands the types of entities eligible to ship wine directly to Maine customers to include retailers and wholesalers licensed in any state.
Mike Barriault, president of the family-operated Central Distributors in Lewiston, told lawmakers recently that “every bottle of wine that is sold into Maine that circumvents Maine distributors and our Maine retail partners must be considered a direct threat to Maine jobs and the Maine economy.”