Total Wine spouts off at foes

A national liquor chain that has been attacked by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Empire State politicians is not backing down from its efforts to expand in New York — despite being denied liquor licenses three times.

Total Wine & More told the NY State Supreme Court Thursday that it plans to appeal the court’s ruling last week denying the Bethesda, Md., company the right to open a store in Westchester County.

The $3 billion chain, headed in part by a US congressman, is seeking to overturn a decision by the New York State Liquor Authority denying its application for White Plains Fine Wine & Spirits in Hartsdale.

In its notice of appeal, Total Wine said the SLA’s decision was influenced by “anti-competitive protectionism; political opposition” and Total’s status as a “nonresident.”

Dubbed the Walmart of wine by its critics, Total Wine has faced a tsunami of opposition from local legislators and mom-and-pop liquor store owners, who maintain the company unfairly crushes its competition with rock-bottom prices.

Run by brothers Robert and David Trone — the latter represents Maryland in Congress — Total Wine has another license pending before the SLA to open a store in Queens.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threw her support behind the mom-and-pop retailers in her Queens district last week and urged the SLA to block Total Wine’s application for a liquor license.

“As a large retailer with ties to a billion dollar nationwide chain, Total Wines has access to resources and economies of scale with which smaller retailers could not compete,” said the pol, who’s popularly known as AOC.

Earlier this month, Michelle Trone, the daughter of David Trone, defended objections to the Queens store, by pointing out that she would run it.

“Nearly all alcohol retailers in New York are owned by men even though the majority of customers who shop in those business are women,” she told The Post. “I hope my application will represent a small step toward changing that.”

The company has just one store in New York in Westbury, which opened in 2017.