Bites

There are a few ways to stock up the wine cellar, whether you prefer to browse the net to find good deals or are keen to do the full winery tour.

A Western Australian duo, wine connoisseur John Penniment and software developer Ian Telfer, have set up an online wine sale website which has taken off in the past year.

Winecow.com.au, which was created in 2006 to service both the wine industry and wine consumers by bringing out end-of-vintage and clearance lines at low prices, has shown a 500 per cent increase in turnover in the past financial year .

The business has grown by 15 to 20 per cent each month since December last year.

The fundamental idea behind winecow.com.au is to buy wine at a lower price by taking large volumes from wineries and then on-selling it for a small margin to move the wines out quickly in clearance lots.

The duo stocks a selection from Margaret River, the Great Southern and geographe regions to name a few, as well as a selection from South Australia and Victoria.

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The Cellar Door pass, which is already established in the wine regions of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, is being introduced to Western Australia.

The Cellar Door pass was bought to WA by the Innovative Partnership Wine and Food Tourism Project and is administered by tourism body Australia's South West.

It is described as a wine experience package designed to increase wine sales and stimulate visitation to the wine regions.

The passes can be pre-sold to tourists before they leave their place of origin or during their visit to Australia or the region.

The pass costs about $100 and is valid for 12 months. Benefits include VIP access to participating local wineries, free bottles of wine, rewards points for wine purchases, as well as free premium wine tasting.

The WA Cellar Door Pass will be available in mid-August.