Butcher John Carnibella is not just handy slicing up a side of beef, he's also pretty good at nurturing a grapevine and turning its fruit into a half-decent bottle of plonk. He's raved about his wine - cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay - to customers in his Melbourne butcher shop for years, but has never been able to sell them a bottle except from his cellar door at Loch, in Victoria's southeast.
But under new liquor laws that come into force in Victoria on January 1, Mr Carnibella will be able to sell 1.5 litres of wine, or two bottles, to customers at his shop in Bentleigh to accompany their purchase of topside, silverside or half a dozen sausages.
Along with butchers, bed and breakfast operators, hairdressers and florists will be able to apply for permission to sell wine with their goods and services, but the wine must come from just one designated vineyard. They won't be able to supply a range of wines from multiple vineyards. "It's terrific for us - I can sell my own product in my own butcher shop," Mr Carnibella said.
"It will make life a lot easier. I'll be able to complement the beef with a red, all sorts of things. People come in to buy a roast, and I can offer a nice bottle of wine to go with it."
Mr Carnibella's Lochview Winery produces around 5000 bottles a year.
Boutique winemaker Robyn Schmidt, who with her husband Owen produces 15,000 bottles at their 15-acre Lyre Bird Hill Winery at Koonwarra, southeast of Melbourne, welcomes the initiative.
"We're always looking for extra outlets, particularly in local regional businesses - we always try to network and support each other," she said.
"It sounds like a great opportunity."
A spokesperson for the Director of Liquor Licensing said businesses such as butchers and florists, where the supply of liquor is only a small part of their services, won't have to hold a liquor licence, but they will have to meet certain criteria.
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