NASHVILLE - Despite the last minute support of the beer industry, a measure that would allow wine sales in grocery and convenience stores failed to pass a House committee by one vote, the Knoxville Sentinel reports. This effectively shelves the bill for the sixth consecutive year.

The House Local Government Committee didn??t approve the proposal, which would have given localities the decision to hold referendums on letting supermarkets and convenience stores to sell wine. Beer wholesalers switched allegiance to the bill after an amendment was added to allow grocery stores to sell full-strength beer in addition to wine.

State Rep. Jon Lundberg, who sponsored the bill, said there was a slight chance that another bill could be amended to include wine sales in grocery stores, but that option remained slim.

Rep. Matthew Hill supported the bill, and expressed his disappointment that the measure was called to a vote without debate. "Some of those amendments made me much more comfortable with the legislation," said Hill. "It was wrong to cut off debate. ... It just seemed extremely disorganized on both sides."