Tasmanian wine and cider cellar doors will share in more than $650,000 in federal grants to upgrade facilities and boost staffing, with 14 businesses across the state to receive funding.
The recipients are Holm Oak Vineyards, Small Wonder Wines, Kreglinger Wine Estates, Josef Chromy Wines, Moorilla, Frogmore Creek, Mewstone Wines, Riversdale Estate, Willie Smith’s Apple Shed, Bream Creek Vineyard, Freycinet Vineyard, Spring Vale, Stefano Lubiana Wines and Pooley Wines.
The grants are part of the eighth round of the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant Program, with almost 200 cellar doors across the country to share in $10 million.
Pooley Wines operations manager Phillip Knight said the Richmond winery had received the grant every year it had been offered.
He said it had been used to expand bathrooms, improve driveway access and accessibility and help cover casual labour costs.
“Having the grant allows us to … increase our staffing levels and ensure that we’ve got the appropriate number of staff here to give a high level of service,” he said.
“We’re kind of the front line in the face of part of the tourism industry, which is fantastic.”
Knight said the cellar door was still busy but “feeling that pinch” from cost-of-living pressures among customers.
The winery recently won Best Wine of Show at the Sydney Royal Wine Show for its 2024 Syrah.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced the grants at Pooley Wines today.
“We know globally of course that wine consumption is reducing and we know that there has been some structural adjustment happening in the sector,” she said.
“When Australians visit a cellar door, they’re not just backing a local producer, they’re supporting jobs, tourism and businesses across regional Australia.”
The government says grape growing, winemaking and wine tourism contribute $51.3 billion to the national economy and support more than 200,000 jobs.
It says it has provided $110 million to the grape and wine sector and permanently increased the Wine Equalisation Tax rebate cap by $50,000 for eligible producers.
