Anderson Winery owner and winemaker Christobelle Anderson said her cellar door at Rutherglen was facing a fee rise of almost 300 per cent.

The tiny family winery is being charged $397 for a liquor licence, up from $225 last year, while the cost of selling bottled wine at events such as farmers’ markets will also rise — from about $27 to $90 per event.

Ms Anderson said the fee rise was unfair.

“Liquor licensing is treating the wineries and the tourism industry the same as they’re treating nightclubs in Melbourne,” she said.

“They haven’t distinguished between a family event with a wine-tasting and wine area (and a nightclub).

“A lot of these events are for local tourism or just promoting our business offsite so that we can try to get more sales.

“At some of them you really don’t sell much wine, it’s just about getting your name out there.”

The proposed risk-based fee structure was introduced in a bid to punish nightspots in Melbourne with a history of violence.

The fee rises have sparked outcry from pubs across the North East.

Ms Anderson said her cellar door, which could only hold about 50 people, had never had any trouble with alcohol-fuelled violence.

“Even on the Walkabout weekend in June, which is our busiest weekend, we are still vastly quieter than other cellar doors,” she said.

Member for Benalla Bill Sykes said the increase would hurt small businesses hard.

“The Government might argue that a $400 fee is a low fee, on the other hand if the premises was only paying $90 or $150, they see that as massive,” he said.

“They’re just thoroughly browned off that they can just be hit for a fee that they see as just the Brumby Government grabbing money and not recognising the impact of that fee hike on their small venture.”