With ‘oeno-flation’ as it is, it’s hip to be square and branch out into less exclusive – and cheaper – varieties from often overlooked regions
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he sommelier Honey Spencer, of Sune in east London, struck a real chord on Instagram earlier this year: “I’m so fucking sick of expensive wine,” she lamented. There followed an angry plaint about the “unrelenting rise” in the cost of bottles from “artisans making wine properly … and FORGET BURGUNDY”. In a difficult climate, this is “one of the hardest pills to swallow” for the restaurateur.
It’s not an easy swallow for the customer, either, given the mark-up on hard pills these days: according to UKHospitality, the price of wine has gone up 40% since 2020, which will surprise no one who has quietly wept into a £59 rioja.
You can cite many reasons – our old friend Brexit, climate change, rising staffing costs, rising costs of, well, everything – but two factors stand out. One is a steep rise in alcohol duty: British drinkers already pay the highest alcohol tax in Europe and, as of this year, this will rise in line with inflation. According to a widely shared graphic from Bibendum, if a bottle of wine sets you back £7.50, you’re actually spending £2.87 on excise duty, £1.25 on VAT and just 94p on the wine.
