WHY THE TAXMAN DRINKS NEARLY HALF YOUR £5 BOTTLE OF WINE

Smashed Grapes , based in Cheshire, is changing what sustainability looks like in the wine industry and how consumers can make more conscious choices when it comes to wine.

“Wine is a farmed product just like milk, eggs and meat. It is produced by people, with families,” said Sam Tendall , co-founder of the business, “Whilst most of us would only consider buying free-range eggs, fair-trade coffee or British farmed meat, we don’t always pay the same attention to the wines that we pick up when we’re out and about shopping.

“You’d be amazed at not only how much better the quality of wine is but how much more you support wine-makers when the value increases if only a little more is spent.”

Sam explains that whilst it may seem like excellent value to hand over £5 for a bottle of wine, if consumers spent just a little more it would mean a far more sustainable purchase for those people behind the production.

“Duty in the UK on wine is a fixed rate of £2.33 a bottle. Whether that bottle cost £5 or £5,000,” he says, “So the sad truth is that when the nation hands over its average £5 for a bottle of vino only a shameful 31p has gone towards the juice in the bottle and the people that made it. That’s after logistics, packaging, profit for the retailer and our good old friend the taxman.

“On the flip side, if you then spend anything between £8 – £10 on a bottle of the happy juice, it’s worth 100-200% more! From the producer’s perspective, their hard work now pays them £2.70 a bottle. It also allows producers to pay their staff a fair wage for the work they do.

Smashed Grapes offer a huge selection of wines that sees every bottle get eight times as much value out of your vino, upping not only what’s in your glass but what goes back to the producers.

“You might say ‘Hey guys, but I love my favourite £5 merlot’ and we get that,” says co-founder Dan Thomas , “But just like Fairtrade coffee or free-range eggs, a little extra goes a long way. Ask yourself, how much love, passion and hard work would you put into wine that pays you 31p a bottle compared to wine that pays you £2.70 a bottle?”