Overview
- Industry data from UKHospitality shows the average glass of wine in restaurants is nearly 40% pricier than in 2020, with many upscale venues listing no bottles below £35–£40.
- The Wine and Spirit Trade Association reports duty on a typical red has risen 49% since 2023, and with 20% VAT on bottles, tax now approaches a third of a £30–£40 list price.
- Operators are cutting or fixing cash margins, snapping up suppliers’ bin-ends, limiting grower-champagne by the glass, and some customers opt to pay corkage to sidestep mark-ups.
- Food critic Jay Rayner says steep lists make dining uncomfortable and urges restaurants to offer drinkable supermarket finds around £24, as some venues note a drop in wine’s share of sales.
- A new Times analysis argues duty alone does not explain the surge, citing bigger restaurant mark-ups, rising operating costs, price-checking apps, and a Liberty Wines report of a 35% on-trade volume decline over the past decade.