The government is moving to cut red tape for wineries which sell wine at the cellar door or by mail order for off-site consumption.

It aims to make licensing easier and manager training requirements more proportionate to what it calls “the lower risks involved”.

The Sale of Liquor Act 1989 will be amended to enable wineries to obtain a 'perpetual licence' to sell liquor in this way, instead of having to spend time and money applying for licence renewal every three years.

Winery managers responsible for supervising the sale of alcohol from the cellar door or by mail order will also be exempt from aspects of the training required for managers of bars which sell liquor for drinking on the premises.

Minister of Commerce Lianne Dalziel says these changes will cut compliance costs considerably for wineries and ensure the requirements were proportionate to the risks involved.

"Wineries that sell wine from the cellar door or by mail order present a low risk of alcohol abuse and harm. The sale of wine from these wineries is not associated with excessive consumption or the sale and supply of alcohol to under-age drinkers. Rather, wineries with an off-licence tend to sell relatively small volumes of wine to consumers who are more interested in the quality of the wine than the quantity they consume."

"We place strict controls on the way in which businesses selling alcohol operate, for very good reasons.  However, the level of regulation must be proportionate to the risk of harm and in these cases the risk is very low so they should not be treated in the same way, for example, as city bars or hotels serving people on the premises."

The minister says the changes will not apply to wineries with cafés or restaurants that sold wine for drinking on the premises. 

"Those wineries sell wine under an on-licence and will continue to be subject to the stringent standards demanded of businesses that sell alcohol for consumption on the premises."

Legislation will now be drafted to progress these changes - if the government survives the general election in November.