At Wine Monkey, we’re passionate about bringing you great wine without the fuss—or the hefty price tag. But behind the scenes, there are some big changes happening in the UK that are affecting how we all enjoy our favourite bottles. With new alcohol duties and increasing National Insurance costs, the entire wine industry is feeling the squeeze—and we want to be open with you about what that means.

What’s Going On With Alcohol Duty?

From February 2025, the government is rolling out a new alcohol duty system. Instead of a flat rate for wine, tax will now be based on the alcohol content of each bottle (ABV). That means higher-strength wines—often the ones many of us love—will be taxed more heavily.

To give you an idea: a bottle at 14.5% ABV will see its duty jump from £2.67 to £3.21. That’s a 20% increase before we even get to shipping, packaging, or VAT. With around 30 new tax bands coming in, it’s a complex and costly shift for businesses like ours to manage.

We’re doing everything we can to simplify this chaos for our customers, but the reality is: these changes are likely to push prices up across the board.

Rising Employer Costs Add More Pressure

It doesn’t stop at duty. From April 2025, the cost of employing staff is also rising, as National Insurance contributions increase and thresholds shrink. These changes will hit small businesses hard—us included—making it more expensive just to keep doing what we do.

The combined pressure from these new taxes is already being felt across the UK’s wine and hospitality sectors. It’s a challenging time, but we’re committed to staying resilient and keeping quality wine accessible.

What This Means for You

We know everyone’s feeling the pinch. That’s why we’re doing our best to keep offering incredible wines at honest prices. While you may notice some fluctuation in pricing over the coming months—especially for higher-ABV bottles—we’ll always be transparent and fair.

We’re also exploring a broader range of styles, including lower-ABV wines that may be less affected by the new duty rules. As always, everything we sell is carefully chosen for quality, character, and value.

We’re In This Together

We started Wine Monkey because we believe good wine shouldn’t be confusing, overpriced, or snobby. That hasn’t changed—and it won’t. These new challenges are tough, but with your support, we’ll keep doing what we do best: sourcing brilliant bottles and getting them into your hands without the nonsense.

Thanks for sticking with us. If you have any questions or want to explore our latest wines, pop in and see us —we’d love to share a glass with you.

Cheers ????