Tax and spend

Why might a more expensive wine be better value for money? Take, for example, three bottles of wine, one at £3.99, one at £5.99 and one at £7.99. The table below  highlights just how much UK excise tax affects the cost of the bottle and thus the value of the wine itself as a proportion of the retail price. (All figures are approximate, based on estimated costs, and relate to wine imported to the UK from any EU country.)

 

 

£3.99

£5.99

£7.99

Bottling and packaging

18%

12%

10%

Transport, storage, distribution

7%

5%

4%

Excise duty

34%

22%...