Planners Will Review Transfer Rights

More than two-thirds of Maryland wines are distributed by the wineries directly to stores and restaurants, the Association of Maryland Wineries said in a statement.

"We currently sell 68 percent of our products to restaurants and wine stores in 13 counties in Maryland," said Ken Korando , owner of Solomons Island Winery. Korando, who founded the winery in 2004, said he could go out of business when the ruling takes effect. That fate, he said, could await all farm wineries in Maryland.

The administrative ruling, the comptroller's office said, was intended to place Maryland in compliance with a Supreme Court decision last year that held that states may not favor in-state wineries over out-of-state wineries with respect to the distribution and sale of wine.

Out-of-state wineries are permitted to sell only to wholesalers in Maryland, and in-state producers long have been allowed to sell to wholesalers and retailers. The ruling is intended to put all wineries on equal footing.

"We are reviewing our options -- both legal and legislative," Carol Wilson , president of the wineries association and proprietor of Elk Run Vineyards in Mount Airy, said in a statement released by the association.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles) and state Del. Virginia P. Clagett (D-Anne Arundel) have drafted legislation that would allow Maryland wineries to continue direct sales to retailers and restaurants.

"The state has encouraged the local industry with technical, financial and moral support. We believe it has great promise," Middleton said.

"Farm wineries are in jeopardy, and we need to find a way to save them," Middleton said.

Emissions Bill Assailed

Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. 's plan to cut toxic emissions from power plants does not go far enough to protect public health, Democrats said Tuesday as an alternative plan to cap emissions went before a House of Delegates committee.

In the fall, the governor announced changes he said would dramatically reduce emissions of three pollutants from some coal-fired power plants. However, his plan did not address carbon dioxide emissions suspected of contributing to global warming, and some lawmakers want to put tougher caps in the legislation.

Del. James W. Hubbard (D-Prince George's), a sponsor of the bill, said Ehrlich's proposal is "kind of a day late and a dollar short and a little weak on substance."

Both chambers in the General Assembly are considering bills to require coal-fired plants to slash emissions of four pollutants. Besides carbon dioxide, the pollutants are mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrous dioxide.