The advancement of wineries having their own cellar doors has seen direct-to-consumer wine sales reach about $1 billion for the first time in 2018/19.

It represents year-on-year growth of 9 percent.

Analyst Sandy Hathaway told Macquarie’s rural reporter Eddie Summerfield, wineries are tailoring their cellar doors to consumers.

“The number of wineries charging for wine tasting has really jumped this year, and that’s consistent with the prevailing wisdom that it’s much better to charge for a tasting,” Ms Hathaway said.

“What the survey showed was that the cellar door is not just a counter where you get to try a free sample before you buy, it’s a whole complex and high value experience which is all about building the brand.”

Subscribe to the National Rural News podcast: http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcast