Nashoba Valley Winery Fighting To Keep Licenses

BOLTON (CBS) -- A local winery is fighting to keep all of its licenses after the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission said it will not renew them all.

Nashoba Valley Winery owner Rich Pelletier told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker that, after 16 years of holding all of the licenses, the commission's decision came as a surprise.

"All of the licenses that we currently hold have been held for at least 16 years, some of them as far back as 1995," said Pelletier.

Those licenses include a farmer's winery license, a farmer's brewery license, a farmer's distillery license, and a section 12 pouring license for his restaurant, which sits 50 feet from the winery. The ABCC sees a conflict in owning both a farmer's license and a pouring license.

Pelletier said if he can't get the license to pour, he'll have to close his restaurant at the end of the year.

"I don't have a business plan come January 1," said Pelletier. "January 1, I close the restaurant, I lay off 50 people."

Pelletier has filed suit against the ABCC. The Attorney General's office, defending the ABCC in that case, is trying to get the case dismissed.

A hearing on the dismissal request is scheduled for June 29.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports