Wellington, Nov 19 NZPA - Cellar door and mail order sales of wine should be exempt from new liquor laws, New Zealand Wine (NZW) says.

Winery cellar door sales were a "principal interface" between wine tourists and the industry.

They allowed people to learn about the winemaking process and individual wine styles as well as make purchases.

Less than 5 percent of total New Zealand wine sales were made at the cellar door or through the mail, but it was an important revenue area, particularly for small wineries, NZW said.

Changes proposed in the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill would treat such sales "no differently from retail liquor stores".

The costs of complying the new legislation would be $2378 for an initial licensing application and $2408 every three years for renewal.

"Given the very low risk represented by winery cellar door and mail order operations and the unique function of the cellar door in terms of tourism activities, we request (they) are taken outside the scope of the Local Alcohol Plan regime."

NZW also said it did not agree with the creation of a new system for the regulation of alcohol advertising.