Brits drinking better wines, survey finds
More and more people are opting for a night in with a good vintage port or Cloudy Bay rather than head out on the town, according to the results of a recent survey.
Research carried out for the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) found a 30 per cent increase in the number of regular wine drinkers willing to pay more than £7 for a bottle of wine to be enjoyed at home.
"No doubt some of this stems from price increases driven by tax and other factors but it also fits into a pattern of consumers enjoying wine at home with a meal instead of going out," commented Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the WSTA.
Meanwhile, rose wines are growing in popularity, accounting for 18 per cent of wines consumed compared with just ten per cent in 2007.
The WSTA recently welcomed the government's proposal to ban below-cost sale of alcohol in supermarkets, saying duty and VAT are consumer taxes and should therefore be paid by consumers.