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NZW has welcomed the success of The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Cellar Door Tasting) Amendment Bill, proposed by Stuart Smith MP, which passed its first reading with broad support from across Parliament.
Winery cellar doors are an important part of wine tourism, yet the current legislation does not permit wineries holding an off-licence to charge for tastings, says NZW Chief Executive Philip Gregan.
"The current legislation is out of date. It either forces wineries to give wine away for free, or forces them to go through significant cost and time to acquire and maintain a separate on-licence."
The regulatory change would ensure that winery cellar doors can provide tastings without the unnecessary extra red-tape, he says.
Public submissions closed on 14 September and NZW will be presenting to the Select Committee after the election.
Trade is important to our industry, whether it’s because 90% of our wine sales are in international markets, because of the international tourists who spend money at our cellar doors, or because of the equipment we source from overseas to operate our wineries and vineyards.
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