Accolade call for more favourable tax breaks for 8% abv wines
Accolade Wines, the number one wine company by volume in the UK and Australia, are calling for a tax break on wines bottled at around 8% abv. Currently wines with a 5.5% abv or lower enjoy more favourable tax breaks in a move to drive a socially responsible product. But Accolade's argument is that whilst sales are thriving in these lighter styles they don't taste like wine.
The argument from the people who list brands such as Hardy's, Kumala and Echo Falls in their portfolio, is that wines with an 8 to 8.5% abv don't compromise on taste but still manage to deliver a socially responsible product.
Accolade’s Paul Schaafsman acknowledged that a 5.5% wine isn’t going to taste the same as a 12% wine. But at 8 to 8.5% you can do a lot more – you are still getting a similar style to a 12 or 12.5% wine.
The plus side for the business of 5.5% abv wines is that the lighter styles bring in the 18-25 age group category, who are used to drinking cider and RTD and then the hope is they develop through the flavour profile into buyers of more complex wines.