Britain is one of the three most important wine markets in the world — but its finance minister has just savagely raised the tax on wine and spirits. Robert Joseph considers the likely impact on the UK’s position as a target for exporters.

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The northernmost part of the UK is planning to bring in a return scheme for bottles and cans this summer to improve its poor recycling rates. Many in the British drinks industry would prefer it not to. 

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The UK is now a wine producing nation, with increasingly well-regarded sparkling wines. These, however, represent a tiny part of national consumption and this is a market that is open to wines from across the world. Unlike the US with its three-tier-system, British wine retailers can import wine directly from producers. There are limited restrictions on marketing and communications. However, as Chris Losh reveals, this is a far from easy market. (Additional reporting by Robert Joseph)

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The sparkling wine category is booming, with Champagne in hot demand. This has led to the embrace of top-quality sparkling wines from elsewhere, including England which now produces around 10m bottles per year. Nyetimber is the UK's longest-established, largest and most highly respected producer, as Simon Werner reveals.

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British wine drinkers are set to pay significantly more for their wine.

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The United Kingdom has one of the highest tax regimes on alcohol in the world. It was feared that a new regime to be applied next February would have made matters even worse, while introducing unworkable impracticality into the UK trade. Those threats have been lifted. For the moment.

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In 2021, thirsty US wine drinkers popped 69% more Champagne corks than the previous year. Some of that dramatic increase can be attributed to the impact of Covid on 2020, but sales are still growing and, as Sarah Philips McCartan reveals, France’s iconic fizz is not the only beneficiary of this trend.

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Sales of Italian wines in Germany, the US and the UK fell significantly in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year. According to NielsenIQ's surveys, volume in off-trade (food retail, discount, cash & carry, liquor shops) in the three countries fell by 10.6 % overall, with value down 8.1 % to €2.26bn.

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The UK has its first wine PDO, with boundaries that reflect a county, rather than an area with specific vinous characteristics. Robert Joseph wonders how much this matters.

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