BOSTON (AP) – Gov. Mitt Romney vetoed a bill that would have expanded wine shipments via mail, saying Monday the legislation passed by the House and Senate did not help consumers but instead protected existing liquor distributors in Massachusetts.

Under the terms of the legislation, passed last week, not only could Massachusetts residents buy wine by mail, but they also could have taken home unfinished bottles from restaurants.

Yet the governor noted the bill also prohibited shipments by wineries producing more than 30,000 gallons per year, if they have been represented by a liquor wholesaler in the state for the past six months.

“This bill does not give wine lovers the opportunity to purchase the bottlings they want,” the Republican chief executive said in a statement. “It creates artificial barriers to protect Massachusetts wholesalers at the expense of a free market.”

The Legislature acted after the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Massachusetts and other states could not ban direct wine shipments. Under the old law, only local wineries could ship by mail.

The governor is wading through a raft of bills produced by the House and Senate last week during their final week of formal sessions. He has yet to act on bills providing a tax credit for filmmakers, aimed at encouraging the use of energy-efficient appliances and a law promoting so-called smart growth.

On Sunday, Romney signed a law increasing the number of seniors citizens eligible for a property tax credit from the state.