Tasting charge welcomed
A BILL that would allow wineries to charge for visitors to cellar doors could be a huge shot in the arm for Central Otago wineries, industry representatives say.
The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Cellar Door Tasting) Amendment Bill, proposed by National Party MP Stuart Smith, was drawn from the Member’s Bill Ballot last week.
Winery cellar doors are an important part of wine tourism, yet the current legislation does not permit wineries holding an offlicence to charge for tastings.
Central Otago Winegrowers Association general manager Jake Tipler said many cellar doors were being financially penalised by people treating wine tasting as a social occasion as opposed to a tasting with the view of buying wines.
Wine growers were unable to charge for wine tastings unless they were serving food, and most of them ran at a loss.
‘‘For some small winemakers it is crippling them . . . now they can get people to pay a minimal amount for wine tasting and that will cover costs,’’ he said.
He said staff costs to have a cellar door open every day was a big part of the costs of a winery.
Central Otago had more than 60 cellar doors and they varied in size and importance to winemakers. A business such as Gibbston Valley Winery sold 80% of its wine through its cellar door, while some smaller vineyards sold virtually none.
Wine tasting was set up to attract people to try wines with a view to buying bottles, but to many it has become about binge drinking.
Mr Tipler said the charges would be minimal, about $10$15 a person.
New Zealand was the odd one out as every other wineproducing country set charges for people to visit cellar doors.
Mr Tipler went to the United States in 2016 and said every vineyard he visited charged for a cellar door .
Charging would get people coming to wineries who wanted to buy wine which would be great for Central Otago wineries rather than running at a loss.
New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said the current legislation was out of date.
‘‘Winery cellar doors have been hit hard by the collapse in international tourist numbers over the past two years. This regulatory change would ensure that they can continue to provide exemplary winery cellar door services to both domestic and international tourists, without unnecessary extra redtape,’’ he said.
‘‘With over 600 small wineries in New Zealand, this will make a big difference, and will encourage more cellar doors to open for the enjoyment of returning international wine tourists.
‘‘Additionally, by allowing charging for tastings, the industry sees this as consistent with the lowrisk winery cellar door licensing status and supporting responsible consumption.’’