Walking the thin red line

The Brumby government's tightening of liquor-licensing laws continues to snare unsuspecting victims, writes Jeni Port.

LAST month, Melbourne's vibrant music scene was placed on the endangered list.

Now, Victorian wineries fear the state's thriving wine-tourism industry is in similar peril.

Liquor-licensing changes introduced on January 1 will affect wine producers, particularly small makers — the backbone of hundreds of farmers' markets, craft markets and community festivals held throughout the state each year.

The increase in the cost of a temporary limited licence from $27.70 to $90.50 could see small makers who go to as many as 30 or more markets and festivals a year, including fundraising events at school fetes, paying thousands of dollars in licence fees.

Wine producer Karin Kuusk, of Sisely Estate at Woori Yallock, attends between 70 and 80 markets a year and will now pay $3000 a year in licence fees. She says she knows of producers who go to twice as many markets as she does. And should they also attend a major wine and food festival, one with more than 5000 patrons, they could be paying as much as $778.60.

Suddenly, selling your wine through the growing network of regional markets will become prohibitive for some makers.

Even bed and breakfast owners who give complimentary bottles of locally produced wines to guests are affected. They will be required to obtain a licence and designate and monitor a red line around the area in which the wine is to be consumed.

An army of compliance inspectors will now keep them and all other licence-holders on their toes.

Winemakers say the attempt to quell inner-city alcohol abuse and violence through an increase in licence fees is tarring all licence-holders with the same brush.

"We're the small fish caught in the net along with the big ones," is how Barbara Nixon, president of the Macedon Ranges Vignerons Association, describes the problem.

There's a bitter irony at work here. The state government's increased fees are now a major deterrent to winemakers participating in exactly the kind of events Tourism Minister Tim Holding and Tourism Victoria are trying to promote.

On March 7, the Jindi Harvest of Gippsland will be held at Lardner. The event has been going for six years and showcases 100 exhibitors of food and wine, of which about 30are small winemakers. About 9000people attend.

Organiser Mark Cockerell encouraged exhibitors to get licences before the end of last year, so many weren't affected by the change. However, he has doubts about the roll-up of exhibitors for next year.

Issued by The Age 9th February 2010
http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/epicure/walking-the-thin-red-line/2010/02/08/1265477561145.html