Mass. governor vetoes bill for online wine sales

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has vetoed a bill that would have allowed residents to buy wine from out-of-state wineries over the Internet, saying certain provisions in the proposed law are anti-consumer. The bill, which would have allowed small wineries to sell to consumers online, was passed in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that struck down protectionist laws in other states.

Romney said he objected to a provision in the bill that would prohibit direct sales by wineries that produce more than 30,000 gallons of wine a year if they have been represented by a Massachusetts wholesaler for the past six months. "This bill does not give wine lovers the opportunity to purchase the bottlings they want," he said in a press release. "It creates artificial barriers to protect Massachusetts wholesalers at the expense of a free market."