New York’s Governor Paterson is proposing to allow grocery stores to sell wine. The owner of a wine shop does not object, but asks for “reciprocity” — like allowing wine stores to sell cheese. Here is the conclusion of his piece in today’s Times:

Wine, after all, has always been more than a floor-stacked commodity. A pleasure to be savored, a conduit for culture, and the fastest way to bring people together that I know of. It’s also hard to buy without trusted help. Come to us with a recipe for gnocchi with Gorgonzola, for example, and we will help you pair it with the perfect wine — a nebbiolo from Italy’s Langhe region, in this case. And we will know you by name. Try getting that from the teenager with the name tag and vest.

Bravo, Signore Pasanella! Ben detto. Do any of the upper West Side Commonweal crowd know where to find his wine shop?