Wisconsin winerires may be in trouble.
A group of 50 state legislators sent a letter to Gov. Jim Doyle Thursday, asking him to veto a portion of the state budget that may affect a third of wineries in Wisconsin.
The letter requests the removal of a provision that would stop wineries from selling directly to retailers, mandating that they use a distributor. The legislators also ask a second provision that would stop wineries from importing wine or other alcohol from other states also be vetoed.
Andrew Nowlan, spokesperson for state Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, who was the lead proponent of the vetoes, said the provisions would negatively affect all cities with a winery if not removed.
Nowlan said although the number of jobs in the wine industry in Wisconsin is small, the local wineries are tourist attractions for many areas in the state. The loss of the wineries, many of which are small businesses, would cause tourism revenue to decline in the areas, according to Nowlan.
Doyle spokesperson Matt Canter said the governor is not commenting on any vetoes at this time. Canter said he was unsure why the provisions were originally in the budget.
