Talk about strange logic..................

[Innkeeper]

In Maine there is no corkage. Restaurants have to buy there hard liquor at retail (read State stores or specially licensed and price controlled private stores). There is a special state store in Kittery, at the southern end of the state that has reduced prices to compete with New Hampshire. Restaurants have asked to be able to buy booze at Kittery prices upstate, and were refused. They can drive to Kittery if they so choose.

Beer and wine is delivered to restaurants by distributers. The same distributers! Twenty five years ago when they moved to take wine out of the state stores, the beer distributors moved to take over distribution. So with the exception of Gallo, who "somehow" got to distribute their own stuff, all other wine goes through beer distribution. This distribution system is divided up horizontally, and the economy, population, and roads run vertically. So wine that is available in one coastal or river valley town, may not be in the next town up the road.

All the wine and liquor is taxed twice. The distributors have to pay a 5.5% on all wine they bring into the state (giving them a big incentive to try new brands). This even results in only certain wines in some brands coming into the state. Restaurants pay 5.5% on the liquor that they have to buy retail. Wine, beer, and liquor bought retail by the general public gets taxed 5.5%. However, if you buy wine, beer, or liquor in a restaurant the general public pays 10% tax. This is to "discourage drinking and driving", despite the fact that you can go into a "Variety store" (beer, pizza, and videos) and buy a "suitcase" of beer at 5.5% tax. Up here, as they say, when you buy a pickup, a sixpack comes as standard equipment! Yet, a couple having a glass or two of wine with dinner in a restaurant, have to pay a higher tax so they don't drive home drunk.