South Australian wineries will share in $1.225 million in funding, to help them upgrade and diversify their cellar doors and provide visitors with a premium experience. The funding program follows the result of the newly revised Wine Equalisation Tax rebate.

55 wineries in South Australia will receive a share of $1.225 million in funding, for upgrades to their cellar door experiences, aimed at driving tourism.

The funding is distributed through the State Government’s Cellar Door Grants Program, which came in to fruition after a clean-up of the Wine Equalisation Tax.

Each winery will receive up to $25,000 each toward upgrades and projects, and recipients will match the funding with a dollar to dollar minimum co-contribution.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Leon Bignall has seen three new projects bloom under the scheme so far.

“We’ve seen so many exciting projects come to life”

 

“We’ve seen so many exciting projects come to life, including in the Adelaide Hills, where I will be opening a new cellar door in the historic Gumeracha Stores on September 23,” said Bignall.

“Ochre Nation, which is home to Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo Wines, have transformed the historic Gumeracha Cold Stores into a fantastic new cellar door.

“[And] in June, I opened the new Gemtree Biodynamic Hut. It’s now a key component of biodynamic tours which allow visitors to see and learn about the nature and science behind Gemtree’s biodynamic wines.”

The 55 wineries are located in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare, Coonawarra, Currency Creek, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Mount Benson, Riverland and Southern Flinders Ranges.

Some of the newly funded projects include:

• Deviation Road in the Adelaide Hills, establishing a specialised sparkling wine tasting area.
• Battle of Bosworth Wines, for a new cellar door with scenic views of Napean Bay on Kangaroo Island.
• Chapel Hill in McLaren Vale to link its tasting rooms with their outdoor area creating a vibrant family friendly space adjoining the existing 151 year old chapel.
• Yalumba in the Barossa who are renovating an historic building into a hospitality space.
• Woodstock Wines at McLaren Vale to construct a wildlife and wine experience platform and pathways through wildlife enclosures, giving visitors an up-close wildlife experience.
• Elderton Wines are set to convert a 1918 gentleman’s bungalow into a state-of-the-art cellar door.

In addition, seven regional wine associations are receiving grants for up to $50,000 per project under the Regional Wine Industry Association Grants Program to develop regional wine tourism and visitor experiences. This funding totals $361,610.

The recipients for regional association grants are:

• Adelaide Hills Wine Region – Immerse Yourself Program ($50,000) and The Adelaide Hills Region Big Data Insights Program ($30,000).
• Barossa Grape & Wine Association – Barossa Brand Extension and Activation Project – China & Hong Kong ($50,000), Barossa Shiraz Trail business case development ($25,000) and The Barossa Cellar events facility ($50,000).
• Clare Valley Winemakers – Breathe It In – Clare Valley! marketing campaign ($32,750).
• Coonawarra Grape and Wine – Coonawarra Wineries Walking Trail ($9750) and Building Brand Coonawarra through ‘content marketing’ videography and photography ($19,600).
• Kangaroo Island Food and Wine Association – Kangaroo Island events ($48,500).
• Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine – Reproduction of a vintage caravan for regional promotions and events ($18,412) and a Landscaping and infrastructure project at Langhorne Creek Old School Community, Wine & Tourism Hub ($15,000).
• McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association – McLaren Flat ‘Flat Mates’ promotional activities ($12,598).

For more information visit www.pir.sa.gov.au/winescheme