More than 200 wine and cider businesses will share in $10 million of funding, under latest round of the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant Program
Australian Government has announced funding of AU$10 million in country’s wine and Cider industry. The Cellar Door Grant Program is expected to help businesses attract visitors to Australian wine regions and promote agri tourism.
The grant program is administered by Wine Australia, which carries out application assessments and distributes the funding directly to wine and cider businesses.
Over 200 wineries will receive grants this round, including 79 in South Australia, 45 in Victoria, 35 in New South Wales, 32 in Western Australia, 9 in Tasmania and 2 in Queensland.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said “Australia’s wine sector is a thriving example of a locally grown and manufactured agriculture industry. Wineries are an important economic driver in many regional communities across the country. This Government is committed to helping them recover from the current challenges such as trade disruptions, supply-chain issues, and natural disasters. This sector is a resilient one, but this funding will go the extra mile towards speeding up recovery.”
Lee McLean, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Grape & Wine said “the benefits of cellar door tourism flow beyond grape and wine businesses to local pubs, bakeries and petrol stations across Australia’s 65 wine regions. The Australian Government’s support for this grant will help drive investment in more world-class tourism experiences, drawing visitors to regional Australia and underpinning employment and economic growth in our sector as it works through a challenging time.”
The program allows eligible wine and cider businesses to apply for up to AU$100,000 and the latest grants were the fourth round of the program.
Through the Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation program, the Australian wine industry is being assisted with grants totalling AU$2.815 million awarded to Australian Grape and Wine to explore new markets, and a AU$500,000 grant awarded to the Food and Wine Collaboration Group, which includes Wine Australia, to assist with its programs.
