WSTA: Wine replaces beer as UK's favourite alcoholic drink

Of 4,049 adults quizzed on their drinking habits, wine emerged as the preferred drink of choice for over half (60%), regardless of age, region and social class.

The YouGov research also revealed that vino is the favoured drink for more 25-34-year-olds  than ever before – with 57% opting for wine over other alcoholic products.

“While our consumption of alcohol continues to fall, wine is our new favourite drink and, with the global emergence of British wine and food products, we are calling on the Chancellor to drop alcohol duty by 2% at the Budget in March,” WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said.

“By cutting the duty on wine, the Chancellor would provide welcome relief for a growing British industry and a drink much loved by millions of consumers, as well as generating an increase of more than £1billion annually for the public finances.”

Taxes​

A separate survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by the WSTA also found that almost two thirds (64%) believed alcohol was taxed too highly – UK consumers currently pay nearly 60% tax on an average priced bottle of wine and have not experienced a tax cut on the drink since 1984.

"This revealing poll shows just how harshly British consumers are treated when they want to enjoy a well-earned tipple,” Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said.

“Politicians always talk about a cost of living crisis, but they make it far worse with punitive taxes on drinks that usually hit the poorest hardest,”

“The Chancellor has a golden opportunity in the upcoming Budget to drop the duty and give hard-pressed taxpayers a break."

The findings come on the back of latest figures from the Beer Barometer, which showed that overall beer sales were up for the first time in 10 years following two successive duty cuts.

However, the data revealed that sales in pubs were still in decline.