'There’s no way we’d go back': will Covid-19 end free wine tastings forever?

Complimentary wine flights are a cornerstone of Australian cellar door visits - but as wineries reopen, they're rethinking the tradition

For decades free wine tastings have been an essential part of the Australian cellar door experience. They helped turn a nation of beer drinkers on to the charms of shiraz, semillon and sagrantino.

Before the Covid-19 shutdown, there was already a move away from this tradition: the number of Australian wineries charging for tastings went from 29% in 2017-18 to 50% in 2019, according to Wine Australia's 2019 cellar door survey report. As wineries have reopened post-shutdown, more are questioning the value of giving away their product free.