Irish consumers pay €3.19 on tax per every standard bottle of wine, and €6.37 on sparkling wine.
This is according to Drinks Ireland's "Irish Wine Market Report", which found that Irish excise on wine is the highest in the EU.
According to the report, 54% of a standard €9 bottle of wine is tax.
This is in comparison to Finish consumers, who pay €2.83 tax on a standard bottle of wine; British consumers, who pay €2.43; Swedish consumers, who pay €1.83; and Lithuanian consumers, who pay €1.24.
Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany do not charge duty on wine.
Declining Consumption
Despite the high excise, wine remains the second most popular beverage in the country, with a 27% market share in the alcoholic drinks market.
However, total wine consumption decreased by 2% compared to the previous year, while per capita wine consumption decreased by 3.6%.
This reflects a greater trend of declining alcohol consumption in Ireland rather than a reaction to high tax.
In terms of wine by country of production, Chilean wine remains the nation's favourite, followed by Australian.
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
