Is a new alcohol prohibition on its way?

New taxes on wine could mean that your favourite tipple – in particular red – ends up being watered down or disappearing altogether, writes wine expert Rosamund Hall

Taxation based purely on a sliding scale doesn’t take into account the nuances of real winemaking (Getty)

Whenever I try to discuss the topic of alcohol duty with my friends who have no connection to the wine industry, many of them tend to switch off. I can’t really blame them. It is – excuse the pun – a fairly dry topic.

Their only real interest lies in how much more expensive it could make their favourite bottle of malbec or chardonnay. I imagine many of you reading this will probably feel the same way. But what if I told you that it could impact whether your preferred wine is even going to be available anymore, full stop?

Alcohol duty already had a big increase last August when the government introduced the largest alcohol tax rise for almost 50 years. But, come February 2025, things are going to get even worse, as the government plans to press ahead with complex and costly changes to the way wine is taxed.