(GadsdenTimes) - Alabama has made some changes in how lobbyists do business in Montgomery, but if you think they are not still powerful, consider the fate of a bill to let small wine producers self-market their products. The House version of the bill didn’t make it out of committee in large part because of the efforts of lobbyist Steve Windom. The former state senator and lieutenant governor is well connected in the Legislature, and he argued that allowing wineries such as Wills Creek Vineyard in Duck Springs and Berta Vineyards in Albertville could, through a ripple effect, lead to the downfall of the “three-tier” system of manufacturers, distributors and retailers