How much should you spend on a 'normal' bottle of wine?
We all think that the Duty on wine in Ireland is very high but there is always the fear that it will go even higher - especially as there is a Budget coming!
The UK government increased the duty on still wine by 20% in August this year to a record €2.67 per btl (according to the UK Wine & Spirit Trade Association). That's equivalent to €3.07 at today's rate! The Duty rate in Ireland is currently €3.19 per btl - PLUS VAT!
Holy God tonight!
If our neighbours traded up to a £10 wine, they'd get around seven times more wine (£2.10)
If they splashed out on a £20 btl, they'd get nearly 22 times more wine for their money (£6.33)
These are UK figures but our Duty is a little higher, and our VAT rate is also higher (23% v 20%) but the principle applies - pay a little more for a much better wine ... and buy the cheapest at your peril.
And remember, it's against the law to sell Alcohol below cost so, if it's a cheap wine on the shelf, it's a dirt cheap wine in the vineyard!
The UK government increased the duty on still wine by 20% in August this year to a record €2.67 per btl (according to the UK Wine & Spirit Trade Association). That's equivalent to €3.07 at today's rate! The Duty rate in Ireland is currently €3.19 per btl - PLUS VAT!
To make you jealous, I should mention that the French pay just £0.03 in duty on a bottle of wine, the Belgians pay £0.48 and the Dutch pay £0.57. Meanwhile, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Greece and various other countries do not impose any duty whatsoever.
The UK market is different from ours though, in that they buy a much cheaper (less quality) wine more often - the average price of a 75cl bottle of still wine in the UK retail market is £6.37 which is shockingly low. When you remove all the costs and duties, VAT etc, only 29p now goes on the wine itself !Holy God tonight!
If our neighbours traded up to a £10 wine, they'd get around seven times more wine (£2.10)
If they splashed out on a £20 btl, they'd get nearly 22 times more wine for their money (£6.33)
These are UK figures but our Duty is a little higher, and our VAT rate is also higher (23% v 20%) but the principle applies - pay a little more for a much better wine ... and buy the cheapest at your peril.
And remember, it's against the law to sell Alcohol below cost so, if it's a cheap wine on the shelf, it's a dirt cheap wine in the vineyard!