Winemakers welcome law change allowing more wineries to charge for tastings: ‘The more we can sell locally, the better’

Winemakers in Hawke’s Bay have welcomed a law change which will allow cellar doors without attached restaurants to charge for wine tastings.

They say wineries, including in wine hotspots such as Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago, will benefit heading into summer.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Winery Cellar Door Tasting) Amendment Bill passed its third reading on Wednesday and will soon be made a law.

It allows winery cellar doors with an off-licence to charge for providing samples of wine, which they previously had to give away for free unless they obtained an on-licence.

Long-term Hawke’s Bay winemaker John Hancock, who is retired but helps host a tasting event on weekends to promote local wines, said it was good news for the region.

“There is no question that it will be good for us,” he said, of Hawke’s Bay wineries.

“What we have struggled with in the past is, for a lot of the wineries, not being able to have an on-licence because they don’t do food.

“To charge a tasting fee you’ve had to have an on-licence, so they have made that easier now.

“I think it is going to very beneficial for Hawke’s Bay.”

He said a lot of wineries in the region had done it “pretty tough” since Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

“The more we can sell locally, direct to the public, the better.”

Long-standing Hawke’s Bay winemakers Kate Radburnd and John Hancock. A cellar door collective at Radburnd Cellars in Bridge Pa can't currently charge for tastings. Photo / Warren Buckland

He said some wineries will probably choose not to charge, but it was good wineries had the option as it was costly to offer tastings. Hancock said most wineries waive a tasting fee if you buy a bottle of wine.

Radburnd Cellars hosts a cellar door collective at its winery in Bridge Pa on Saturdays and Sundays, featuring other local wineries who don’t have a cellar door.

Radburnd Cellars sales manager Jess Fargher said those tastings were free as they could not charge under their current licence.

“Everyone keeps saying ‘how are you not charging? There are five wineries, there are 10 wines to try’ and I keep saying ‘the council gave us this special off-licence so I’m not going to mess with that’.”

Fargher said the law change was “a really good thing” for wineries, particularly for smaller wine producers.

“It would be really cool if come summer time we could charge.”

Radburnd Cellars is owned by Kate Radburnd. The winery was completely flooded in the cyclone in Bay View before moving to its new site in Bridge Pa on Ngatarawa Rd.

NZ Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan said the law change “enables wineries to charge for providing their tourism experience.

“It is positive that the legislation will be in force ahead of the busy summer season.”

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Winery Cellar Door Tasting) Amendment Bill was a member’s bill from MP Stuart Smith drawn from the ballot.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.