COONAWARRA After Dark’s program of events will be altered due to the precautionary measures put in place amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Three wineries have cancelled After Dark events following the Federal Government’s nationwide ban of non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people to prevent the virus spread.
Despite no Limestone Coast cases being confirmed by health authorities, a number of major events have been cancelled or postponed since the ban was instated.
DiGiorgio Family Wines and Zema Estate Wines have cancelled events originally planned for Friday, April 3.
Brand’s Laira Coonawarra has also cancelled its event on the same night and is currently the only cellar door closed for one week following the Casella company decision.
Brand’s Laira senior winemaker Peter Weinberg said the week-long cellar door closure was expected to have a financial impact on the business, however a majority of the winery’s sales were via retail outlets across Australia.
“This is a company-wide decision, with our other cellar doors in the Casella group also closed,” Mr Weinberg said.
“The decision was made in the best interest of employees and the community.”
“As announced by the government, social distancing is an important measure to help slow the spread and we believe we must do all we can to prevent COVID-19 in our workplace and communities,” Mr Weinberg said.
Mr Weinberg said on average those working at the cellar door could come into contact with up to 80 people per day, with visitors often staying in contact with staff for extended periods of time and increasing the risk of virus spread.
“Other impacts in the future will depend on rulings from the government and health authorities,” he said.
“We hope by taking steps to contain the virus it will enable the industry and community to recover more quickly.
“This is a rapidly changing situation and we are closely following updates from government and health authorities.”
DiGiorgio’s Family Wines’ sales representative Katie Lewis said although it was a disappointing decision to cancel the After Dark event, it was made due to uncertainty surrounding hosting events.
“Even though they are saying to cancel events over 500 people there is possibility to spread among less,” Ms Lewis said.
“We are disappointed to cancel it but need to keep in mind the safety and health of our patrons and employees.”
Those who have booked tickets to the event will be refunded in full, with the winery expecting to return bigger and better for next year’s After Dark event.
“Other than this it is business as usual and we are practicing effective hygiene and encourage other patrons and visitors to do the same,” she said.
Visitors to the Coonawarra region are advised to call ahead for current opening status of individual wineries.
All other After Dark events are expected to go ahead and all other wineries are conducting business as usual.
