Why cheap wine is a false economy in the UK, and the US

Julia Harding MW wrote this useful explanatory article in 2003 when £1.19 excise duty was charged on every bottle of regular-strength wine sold in the UK. Today the rate is even higher at £1.27 - so it makes even more sense to spend a bit more that £3.99 per bottle.

Why might a more expensive wine be better value for money? Let’s look at three bottles of wine, one selling in the UK at £3.99, one at £5.99 and one at £7.99. The chart below highlights what proportion of the selling price is typically represented by each ingredient in the final...