For many wineries, this is where it all comes together - tastings, sales, introducing your brand, collecting feedback and providing the most memorable experience for visitors. As a public interface, getting the cellar door just right is essential. And running an effective cellar door can make a big difference to your profits.

Factors that contribute to your success include:

Location

• Being close to, or preferably part of, a main tourist route
• Your proximity to target markets and/or high population areas
• Your ability to attract visitors year round
• Being part of a strong tourism region and/or close to other wineries

First Impressions

• Brand consistency through your signage, buildings, grounds and facilities
• Professionally presented and maintained entrance, grounds and buildings
• Authenticity and a clearly recognisable point of difference

Signage

• Strong entry statement that entices visitors to stop
• Good directional signage into and throughout your property

Extra Selling Points

• Adequate parking for a range of visitors, including buses, caravans and limousines
• Your ability to create a destination in your own right
• Features that encourage referrals from other wineries and attractions
• Family-friendly facilities and grounds
• Links with nature-based activities
• A range of facilities that lead to a "total tourism experience"

Welcoming Cellar Door Design
The type and range of facilities you offer will determine the length of time visitors are prepared to spend with you, and will also influence how much they're likely to spend and whether they will return. Visitors need to be "rewarded" for making the trek to see you and the last thing they need is to feel intimidated. Therefore, carefully consider how your design, both external and internal, makes people feel. Is it relaxed and inquisitive? Or tense and intimidated?

Whether you operate from a tin shed, a stone cellar or invest in upmarket contemporary infrastructure, the goal is always the same: to create a memorable experience that will translate into customer loyalty and ongoing sales.

All of this sets the stage for the visitors' experience, adds value to your wine brand and contributes to your bottom line.

And remember, once you've caught their attention and got them to your property, it's over to you to begin building the relationship with your customers.

In this Section:

• Explore the importance of location, signage and creating a memorable first impression through your facilities - both inside and outside the door
• Examine good working examples and peruse a checklist of things to consider.