Cellar door beer sale bid

Craft beer Moa.

Allowing a Cromwell vineyard cellar door to sell craft beer would establish a ''significant precedent'' for alcohol sale from the region's vineyards, the Central Otago District Council's planning consultant says.

At a hearing in Alexandra yesterday the council's hearing panel heard a land use application from the Scott Base vineyard cellar door in McNab Rd to sell wine and Moa beer both on and off site.

It holds only wine tastings and carries an off-licence for wine at present.

The vineyard is owned by Alan Scott, whose family runs many vineyards and the Moa craft beer brand.

Cellar door manager Carolyn Murray said wine would still be its focus, but it wanted to sell the beer brand to attract groups whose members included those who did not like wine.

''We're not wanting to sell any beer, just Moa beer. It's something to talk about with the visitors. They are interested in the story of the family.''

She also asked to be able to hold 26 events a year catering for between 30 and 140 people between 9am and 10pm.

These changes would allow the business to be more sustainable, as most current visitors did not buy bottles of wine, she said.

In a report, planning consultant David Whitney said allowing the sale of beer at the site would establish a ''significant precedent''.

He recommended beer sales not be allowed.

''The sale of such beer is likely to attract additional people to the site and will have a significant adverse effect in terms of the sale and efficient operation of the roading network and is contrary to the relevant objective and policies of the operative district plan.''

He recommended the panel allow the holding of events and the sale of wine on and off site, with eight conditions.

The panel reserved its decision.