The Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grants Program supports wine producers by encouraging visitors to wine regions.
The program allows wine and cider producers to apply for grants of up to $100,000 on their eligible, rebatable cellar door sales through Wine Australia.
Applications for Round 6 (for sales made in 2023-24 financial year) are now open and will close on 30 September 2024.
More information on the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant and a link to apply for round 6 can be found at Wine Australia.
The department undertook public consultation to consider how the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant Program is operating and whether it could be improved. Feedback was received through a Have Your Say survey and submissions. The consultation period ran from 3 October 2023 to 30 October 2023.
Who was engaged
We received 99 responses.
- 95 stakeholders completed the Have Your Say survey (17 provided additional written submissions)
- 4 stakeholders provided written submissions outside the Have Your Say portal.
We received feedback from:
- Grape Growers
- Wine Makers
- Cellar Door Operators
- Cider Producers
- Representative Bodies
What we heard
There were a broad range of views expressed about the future of the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant Program.
We heard that agritourism remains a significant priority for the sector. We also heard the existing program provides significant value to current recipients, supporting cellar door operations and boosting agritourism opportunities.
While we heard that some smaller businesses are not eligible for the Program, due to the $1.207 million eligibility threshold, we also heard they already receive a full rebate on Wine Equalisation Tax paid up to the rebate cap of $350,000. We also heard there has been a significant amount of oversubscription over the past 5 rounds and expanding the eligibility requirements would further increase the rate of oversubscription.
Consultation outcome
Following consideration of the feedback received, the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant Program will continue under current settings. As a result, round 6 opened in August 2024.