The ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment ended Prohibition and gave states

The ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment ended Prohibition and gave states substantial control over the regulation of alcoholic beverages. Most states including Massachusetts then imposed a three-tier system to control the sale of alcoholic beverages within their territories. The hallmark of the three-tier system is a rigid tightly regulated separation between producers wholesalers and retailers of alcoholic beverages. Producers can ordinarily sell alcoholic beverages only to licensed in-state wholesalers. Wholesalers then must obtain licenses to sell to retailers. Retailers which include stores taverns restaurants and bars must in turn obtain licenses to sell to consumers or to serve alcohol on their premises. Recently as to wine Massachusetts has adjusted the separation between these three tiers