Publicans find supermarket wine plan hard to swallow

Limestone Coast hoteliers say a proposal to sell wine in supermarkets will ruin the local hotel industry.

About 30 publicans met in Mount Gambier yesterday to discuss what they see as the negative impacts selling wine in supermarkets would have on regional hotels and bottle shops.

The South Australian Government wants to introduce legislation allowing supermarkets to stock bottled wine.

The Australian Hotels Association's Wendy Bevan says it will devastate the local wine industry.

"They think it's going to be bad for boutique wineries because supermarkets will just take over and stock the name brands," she said.

"We're getting lots of stories from people who say, 'look, if we lose our bottle shop we're simple going to have to look at closing our doors'."

Mount Gambier hotelier Guy Matthews says it would be felt most in regional areas.

"The publican from Lucindale said, 'I've got my hotel here and the supermarket is straight across the road' and he said 'I'm devastated with it'," he said.

Mr Matthews says it will also hurt the local wine industry, where many will be left out.

"More than 50 per cent of our wine we sell would be from local producers," he said.

He says it will be the end of locally-owned bottle shops.

Source: ABC News, 22 March 2013