Average bottle breaks the £4 barrier

The average price of wine in the UK off-trade has broken the £4 barrier. Rising by 2% between December 2006 and 2007, a 75cl bottle now costs £4.01, having increased from £3.93.

According to Nielsen figures for the end of December 2007 (MAT to 29.12.07) sales of wine in the British retail sector have risen by 4% in volume to total 95,686,000 cases, and 6% in value, meaning the market is now worth £4.6 billion.
Almost all country categories experienced price increases, with New Zealand showing the largest leap, up 31p from £5.95 to £6.26. Spain also had an impressive jump, up 26p from £3.66 to £3.92, although still behind the total off-trade average. Australia is up 3p to £4.40, France up 12p to £4.31 and the US up 6p to £4.10. Only South Africa and Chile showed a decline in average bottle price.

Patrick Schmitt, 06/02/08