CESSNOCK City Council has slashed $400,000 in funding from the Hunter Valley's peak wine tourism and industry body.
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The council will instead give the organisation $30,000, the same amount as neighbour Singleton Council.
Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association and Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism merged last month.
The new body, Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association, declined to comment.
Deputy mayor Graham Smith (Labor) said the new body's focus appeared to be "moving away from a citywide focus towards just the vineyards and wine industry".
"[The] council's role is to serve the whole city, so we've chosen to redirect the funds," Cr Smith said.
A majority of councillors voted to instead spend an extra $230,000 on roads, $60,000 on Cessnock Art Gallery, $70,000 to refurbish Cessnock Airport and $50,000 on Civic Park landscaping.
Liberal councillor Bryce Gibson said cutting the wine body's funding amounted to "highway robbery".
"Labor did this at the last minute," Cr Gibson said.
"I've got to give them credit, they're very well organised as a caucus."
Independent councillor Ian Olsen, who had pushed for years to cut the funding, said the wine industry was "only one industry of many in the area".
"We don't promote the local plumber and electrician," Cr Olsen said.
"The wine industry doesn't need council to put the money in, they should be taking it out of their profits to promote their business."
Cr Gibson said the decision would mean less marketing.
"It will affect mum and dad tourist operators, cellar door staff and the punters on minimum wage working long hours on weekends," he said.
He said the tourism industry was the "economic powerhouse of the Cessnock economy and we have to support it".
Winery owner Robyn Drayton said the decision would "affect all of us".
"Tourism has already dropped substantially over the last couple of years," Ms Drayton said.
"The wine industry brings jobs and people to the Hunter."
