With a renewed focus on tourism in New York, the state's popular wine trails are on the verge of expanding as new wineries are eager to join. However, there is a bit of a roadblock in the State Assembly Transportation Committee as the bi-partisan bills needed to spur economic development have stalled.

American billionaire Leslie Alexander, an avid wine collector and owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, is opening a new wine club and storage space in the Hamptons with a US$50,000 (£32,000) membership fee.

As the legislature grapples with the issue, a new poll suggests that support for shutting down Pennsylvania's state store system is slipping.

A longtime businesswoman and winery co-owner will be honored this week as a New York State Senate "woman of distinction."

Madill, who has worked in the Finger Lakes wine industry for 25 years, will divide his time between Sheldrake Point Winery, where he is general manager and winegrower, and Red Newt.

The Finger Lakes wine and tourism industry has become a driving force in our local economy. According to a study by Oxford Economics, in addition to creating over 50,000 jobs in the Finger Lakes, the industry has a $2.7 billion economic impact on our region.

Go ahead, make the jokes about New Jersey wine. They're so easy. But consider this: While you're sniggering about Tony Soprano and Snooki sipping spumante with notes of petroleum, people with more sophisticated taste - or maybe just those willing to think "outer coastal plain" instead of "New Jersey" - are leaning against a copper bar tasting an inviting Vidal Blanc.

The Pennsylvania Wine Society's annual monthly meeting this Friday will focus on the stories of 12 women who "broke the glass ceiling" and became winemakers in California.

Farmers, wineries, breweries, distilleries, creameries and other businesses offer numerous opportunities for eating and drinking local foods in the Finger Lakes and western New York.

Testimony at Tuesday's hearing told of liquor privatization as a harbinger of social chaos.

The liquor commission's decision effectively kills a decades-long relationship.

More than a month after a bill to privatize liquor sales passed the House, the state Senate begins consideration of the measure with a hearing this morning.

Whether in a fast-food drive-through or with lawmakers in Harrisburg, people want to talk about liquor, said Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson.

New wineries are ready to open their doors, renovations and new tasting rooms are set, and wineries are working together on two different programs to promote the region next month.

Where you can buy beer in Pennsylvania will be the subject of debate in the coming weeks in the state Senate, pitting profit-seeking businesses against one another and perhaps even against beer drinkers' wishes.

Many Republicans, including Gov. Tom Corbett, are pushing to end the state's more than 80-year-old liquor monopoly.

Consumers could have fewer choices if legislation squeezes small wholesalers, while State Liquor Authority forbids some third-party wine sales

The new store, at nearly 12,000 square feet, doubles the size of the wine and spirits store it replaces in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center.

Currently, the number of liquor licenses for bars, restaurants and liquor stores is determined by municipal population

This is far from the death knell of Internet wine marketing platforms in New York; indeed, the SLA went out of its way to acknowledge that the Internet, and Internet marketing, is of vital importance