Takeaways vital to cellar door

The business had already been suffering from a 100 per cent loss of their Adelaide Hills wine grapes, destroyed in the Cudlee Creek bushfire late last year.

Operator Lachlan Allen said the coronavirus restrictions had brought new challenges.

"It took a long time for the area to be safe after the fires and for people to regain confidence about returning to the region," he said.

"We had zero production off those crops for vintage this year, but the impacts from COVID-19 have definitely come in waves.

"We are constantly pivoting the business at a rate of knots to stay afloat and it has been difficult, but we want this over as much as anyone else does."

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In the past few weeks, the family business has incurred a 90pc loss of revenue after restrictions banned cellar door visitors and allowed takeaway trade only.

Mr Allen said wine sales were the core trade under the new restrictions, but takeaway pizzas were also being offered to local customers.

"We offered pizzas at the venue before COVID-19 and just 10 days ago, customers could drive onto our property to pick up their order, but then another restriction came in and we had to turn into a pizza delivery business overnight," he said.

But Mr Allen said after cellar doors were ordered to close from April 1, it was a "tough pill to swallow" and he welcomed the state government's decision to lift the restriction on Wednesday.

"After adapting the business to takeaway and then being told to close, it was frustrating to drive past bottle shops with at least 100 people in it," he said.

"Resuming takeaway will hopefully keep us afloat and although it is not the best result, we are happy to adapt to it for the time being."

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