The voice of the wine and spirit industry

Frequently Asked Questions

• How much tax do I have to pay on Alcohol?
• What is the difference between customs duty and excise duty?
• Do I need a Licence to sell alcohol online?
• Where do I get copies of the Challenge 25 Posters?
• What are the main trade publications?
• What is the average price of alcohol in the UK?
• Does the WSTA work for the Government?
• How many members does the WSTA have?
• How can I join the WSTA?
• Do I have to pay tax on alcohol samples used for tastings and trade fairs?
• Where can I go to learn about wines and spirits?
• How do I get a list of UK importers/bottlers/producers/retailers/wholesalers?
• Can you recommend a particular brand of wines or spirits?
• Do you have information on where I can purchase a particular brand?

How much tax do I have to pay on Alcohol?
Excise duty is currently charged at £2.00 per 75cl bottle of still wine, £2.56 per 75cl bottle of sparkling wine, and £7.41 per bottle of 70cl spirit (37.5%abv).
Click here to access the full rates: Excise Duty Rates

What is the difference between Customs duty and excise duty?
Excise duty is a UK tax due on all alcohol imported into the UK (or for what is referred to a ‘released for consumption’) regardless of where it is from, whereas Customs Duty is a European tax on alcohol imported from outside the European Union.
For example, on a wine imported from Spain excise duty would have to be paid but not customs duty, but on a wine imported from Australia both excise duty and customs duty have to be paid.

Do I need a Licence to sell alcohol online?
It is the location of sale of alcohol which determines who needs to be licensed.

If the alcohol is stored, selected and dispatched to the purchaser from a warehouse then it is the warehouse, and not the call centre, that will need to have a premises license. The warehouse will also need a designated premises supervisor who needs to be a personal license holder.

If however, the alcohol is shipped to the seller’s premises and they then dispatch to their final customer, they will need both a personal licence and a premises licence.

Responsibility for advising on and issuing Licences rests with the local authority in which the business is based. Get in touch with your local authority/council and ask to speak to their Licensing Department for further information. Alternatively, get in touch and we will help.

Where do I get copies of the Challenge 25 Posters?
You can download a number of designs on this page:  Challenge-25.html

Please note that the WSTA does not provide printed versions of the posters – you will have to contact a professional printer to get this done. If you need posters for Bars, Restaurants or any other on-trade premises, please contact the British Beer and Pub Association

What are the main trade publications?
The main UK wine and spirit trade publication are just-drinks.com, Harpers, Off Licence News (OLN), The Drinks Business, The Morning Advertiser, Drinks International, IWSR Magazine and Decanter.

What is the average price of alcohol in the UK?
In 2010, the average off trade retail prices were £4.49 (75cl) on wine, £5.91 on sparkling wine (75cl), £5.20 on fortified wine (75cl) and £11.07 on spirits (70cl).

Does the WSTA work for the Government?
The WSTA does not work for the Government. It is an independent Trade Association which represents the interests of its members who are private businesses.

How many members does the WSTA have?
The full list of WSTA Members is available on this page. To date, we have over 340 member companies.

How can I join the WSTA?
Membership of the WSTA requires the payment of a yearly membership subscription which is calculated on the basis of your annual turnover of wine and spirit sales and start from as little as £396.08 per annum.
For further details on how to join click here

Do I have to pay tax on wine samples used for tastings and trade fairs?
Duty is not payable on wine in cases where what is called ‘organoleptic’ tasting by professionals takes place within companies for the purposes of quality control, provided that the wine is not consumed.
Wine used for promotions and for tasting at, for example, trade fairs, shows, exhibitions and supermarkets must be duty-paid. If samples are not supplied free of charge then duty has to be paid on them.

Where can I go to learn about wines and spirits?
There are various providers of wine and spirit courses in the UK. The main organisation providing such courses in the UK is the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Click here for further details

How do I get a list of UK importers/bottlers/producers/retailers/wholesalers?
The WSTA does not provide lists of importers, bottlers, producers or wholesalers. To get access to a full list of UK based wine and spirit companies, please purchase a copy of either the Harpers wine and spirit directory and the Drinks Business buyer’s guide which will provide you with that information.

Can you recommend a particular brand of wines or spirits?
We are a trade association which is funded by our members and as such, we can't recommend specific brands as this would equate to promoting one member's brands over another's.

Do you have information on where I can purchase a particular brand?
We are unable to provide details on outlets for specific brands, but we can asist you in finding out who the brand owner of a particular product is. For details of where to purchase a particular brand, we would recommend to purchase a copy of either the Harpers wine and spirit directory or the Drinks Business buyer’s guide which will provide you with that information.