EU slashes cellar stocks

The EU has responded to the current financial crisis with a sharp drop in expenditure on its cellar stocks.

This year has so far seen the Council of Ministers spend just €5,000 restocking its cellar, compared to €37,000 last year and €90,000 in 2009.

According to a report by European Voice, the Council of Ministers’ cellar currently holds 27,223 bottles of wine and 1,035 bottles of spirits. The wine collection is made up of 73% red, 24% white and – given there is little cause for celebration at the moment – just 3% sparkling.

These stocks come in addition to the smaller collection held by the European Commission, which currently holds 15,500 bottles of wine, valued at a total of €260,000, as well as 935 bottles of spirits.

While the Commission’s wines can be bought by senior officials in the restaurant of its Berlaymont headquarters in Brussels, the Council of Ministers has not released the value of its wine collection on the grounds that bottles are not sold, but rather served at official receptions and dinners.

This recent decline in wine stocks may also be a move to address oversupply. The average guest at the Council of Ministers’ official meals or receptions consumes just 0.15 litres of wine.