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Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grants (closed)

Applications for this grant program closed on 30 September 2023. If you have a question about the assessment process, please see the program guidelines or email cellardoorgrants@wineaustralia.com.

The objective of the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant is to support wine or cider producers who add value by encouraging visitors to wine regions, and thereby encourage wine tourism.

What do applicants get?

Wine producers who have met the eligibility criteria in the preceding financial year may apply for a grant payment of 29 per cent of the notional wholesale selling price of their eligible rebatable domestic cellar door sales (up to $100,000 (GST exclusive)). Total funding under the grant program is capped at $10 million each financial year.

If the total value of all eligible applications exceeds the $10 million program cap in, the value of individual grants will be reduced proportionally and be applied at a consistent rate for all approved applications.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for Round 5 of the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant, applicants must:

  • be a wine or cider producer
  • be a legal entity registered for GST with an active ABN
  • have made at least $1,207,000 (GST exclusive) in sales of rebatable* wine in 2022–23
  • accrue rebatable domestic cellar door sales in excess of any such sales used to meet the $1,207,000 (GST exclusive) threshold in the relevant financial year
  • have paid the WET on all eligible sales used as part of the application
  • have owned or leased a physical cellar door in Australia during 2022–23 and/or their related entity/ies have owned or leased a physical cellar door in Australia in the relevant financial year, and
  • have a liquor licence valid in the 2022–23 financial year.

*rebatable wine relates to wine or a sale that is eligible for producer rebates as described under Division 19 of A New Tax System (Wine Equalisation Tax) Act 1999.

Before applying for this grant, ensure you have:

Things to note

Our frequently asked questions are updated regularly to reflect questions received regarding the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grants.

There are two ways to calculate the notional wholesale selling price. Please refer to the Australia Taxation Office website for further information.

For an application to be valid it must be accompanied by all three of the required supporting documents:

  • a properly completed statutory declaration
  • evidence of a lease agreement, mortgage or certificate of title (with the map page included) in the name of the applicant or related entity for the physical cellar door in which the sales occurred, and
  • evidence of the liquor licence for the physical cellar door valid in the relevant financial year.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q
What’s the process of applying?
A

The process of applying is as follows:

  1. Applicant prepares an application using grant guidelines, application information and forms
  2. Applicant submits application
  3. Wine Australia checks the application for completeness (all fields completed, supporting documentation attached etc.) and eligability against the grant guideliness
  4. Wine Australia advises the Wine Australia CEO on eligability of application and recommended grant amount
  5. Wine Australia CEO decides whether the application will be funded
  6. Wine Australia advises the applicant of the decision and processes the payment
  7. Wine Australia monitors compliance of the applicaitons with thegrant program requirements through annual spot audits.
Q
What are the program dates?
A

One grant round will be offered each financial year, for wine sold in the previous financial year.

The following dates are for the fourth round of grants that will be offered for 2022–23 expenditure.

Table 1 Program dates

Milestone

Anticipated date

Applications open for round 5 (2022–23 Financial Year)

01 August 2023

Applications close

20 September 2023

Decision on successful and unsuccessful applicants

10 October 2023

Applicants informed of grant decisions and  grant payments made

28 October 2023

Awarded grants published on GrantConnect website

18 November 2023

Q
How do I apply for funding?
A

Applications are to be made in the grant application online portal which can be accessed via: www.wineaustralia.com. The grant application form is also available on the GrantConnect website.

Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided in the portal and be received by Wine Australia by the specified published deadline. All applications will be registered and acknowledged by email.

Qualitative and quantitative information is also requested as part of the application, please note that this information will not affect the review of the application, rather, its collection allows Wine Australia and the government to evaluate impacts of the program.

If you experience any difficulties in accessing or using the online portal, you can email cellardoorgrants@wineaustralia.com prior to the application closing to request assistance.

Wine Australia may post Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the application process on the Wine Australia website.

When preparing the application, ensure that you have:

  1. read and understood the program guidelines
  2. met the eligibility criteria
  3. used the current application form provided with the correct financial details
  4. had an authorised person sign the form
  5. attached any required supporting documentation
  6. submitted the application by the deadline published on GrantConnect.

Any modifications to the application form – such as rewording or removing questions or sections – will render your application ineligible. Wine Australia will advise applicants if this is identified and offer an opportunity to the applicant to provide a new application without modification to the application form. If you have questions, please read any published FAQs and/or contact Wine Australia directly.

Attachments to the application

The following documents must be included with your application. They can be uploaded as attachments through the online application portal.

  • (a.) Evidence of a lease agreement, mortgage or certificate of title (with map page included), in the name of the applicant or applicant’s related entity for the physical cellar door from which the transactions for rebatable domestic cellar door sales occurred
  • (b.) Evidence of the physical cellar door’s liquor licence valid in the relevant financial year of this application
  • (c.) Completed and signed Statutory Declaration using the template provided on the online application portal.

Late applications

Applications that are not received by the published closing date may not be accepted. Wine Australia may consider the submission of late applications under extenuating circumstances provided an alternative timeframe has been agreed prior to the closing date or the delay is a result of an issue with Wine Australia’s information and communication technology systems. Requests for an extension of time to lodge an application must be made in writing to Wine Australia via cellardoorgrants@wineaustralia.com. Any decision by Wine Australia to accept or not accept a late application will be final.

Corrections

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure their application is complete and correct. Wine Australia will not accept responsibility for any misunderstanding arising from the failure by an applicant to comply with the guidelines, or arising from any discrepancies, ambiguities, inconsistencies or errors in an application.

If an applicant discovers any material discrepancy, ambiguity, inconsistency or errors in their application, they must immediately bring it to the attention of Wine Australia in writing via cellardoorgrants@wineaustralia.com. Wine Australia may request clarifying information from an applicant and allow them to remedy any discrepancy, ambiguity, inconsistency or errors in an application. Wine Australia may consider information submitted by an applicant after the closing date for the purpose of resolving any material discrepancy, ambiguity, inconsistency or errors in an application. Wine Australia’s decision will be final and will be made at its absolute discretion.


Any other questions?

If you have a question or would like to ask more about the program evaluation, freedom of information, conflicts of interest, or anything else, please reach out to cellardoorgrants@wineaustralia.com

Export Market Development Grants

Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program helps Australian businesses grow their exports in international markets. These grants encourage small to medium enterprises market and promote their goods and services globally. Grants usually open in July each year and close in August. Visit the Austrade website for the latest EMDG updates and information

Other Grant Opportunities

Looking for grant opportunities? Visit business.gov.au and use their handy grant finder tool which may help you find grants, funding and support programs across all three levels of government


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This content is restricted to wine exporters and levy-payers. Some reports are available for purchase to non-levy payers/exporters.