UK Minimum alchol pricing

[iainpb]

The idea of minimum cost per alcohol unit has reared it's ugly head again in the UK and the number being put forward is 50p per unit. Assuming an average bottle of wine is about 12% this makes the minimum cost £6. So all those horrible super cheap wines in the supermarkets at £2 are going to increase by £4, this will of course have a knock on increase on teh wines of higher quality, so the everyday drinking wines - say £6 - 8 are going to increase to £10 - 12 and so on.

So do you think this will damage the wine market? Are restaurants also going to increase (their already huge) wine list prices?

[ermintrude]

I don't think so, the plan is for a minimum cost per unit of 50p not an additional cost per unit. So the effect should be to get rid of all the low quality £2 bottles of wine however I bet loads will go for more profit so at say £6 a bottle it will be difficult to tell the rubish from the good. It will also stop supermarkets selling alcohol as a loss leader.

[sheepish]

I'm not a great follower of politics but it doesn't strike me as something the current lot will try and force through. Too close to the nanny state of the mob we've just got rid of. And smokers were easier to victimise, because they cough and smell and get ill in more obvious ways than drinkers. If it does come in all the more reason to desert the supermarkets and stick to a wine merchant or two you trust.