Tuesday, 03 October 2023 16:25

Cellar Doors

Written by Staff Reporters

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

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"The current legislation is out of date.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.

More like this

Welcome to 2024!

OPINION: The New Year is now well underway and appears to have started promisingly on the weather front, with lots of warm, dry days.

Export Update

Several factors are playing into a slowdown in New Zealand wine exports, including bumper sales in 2020, a light vintage in 2021, and pipeline refilling in 2022.

From the CEO: Changing times for advocacy

OPINION: The election is done and dusted, and as I am writing this everyone is waiting for the new government to be formed.

Concerns over Bill

The new Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act (Community Participation) Amendment Bill may have unintended and serious consequences for New Zealand wine tourism, with licensing authorities able to decline to renew a licence where it is inconsistent with conditions on location or licence density in a relevant Local Alcohol Policy (LAP).