Wine Tourism Relief(WTR)

Our campaign to promote growth, rural jobs and communities through wine tourism.

Home Members Area Politics & Government Affairs Wine Tourism Relief (members page)

The campaign

WineGB’s Wine Tourism Relief (WTR) proposal has been submitted to Government. WTR is a cut in tax that would drive growth and resilience for our members and the wider domestic vineyard and winery sector. WineGB will campaign and engage on WTR in the months and years to come.

Members – we need you to help. Please write to your MP asking for their support for WTR. Below is a copy of the WTR proposal and two template letters / emails (one for members with a tourism offering and one for members without a tourism offering) which you can send to your MP with and a request that they support it.

Wine Tourism Relief proposal

Political email 1

Template letter / email to your MP asking for support for WTR – vineyards with a tourism offering

Poltical email 2

Template letter / email to your MP asking for support for WTR – vineyards without tourism offering

Wine Tourism Relief

Summary of proposal

We outline the case for the success and growth of the sector and the stark reality of the difficulties we face in growing with a contracting hospitality sector and the continuing cost of living impact on house hold budgets.

Wine tourism is one of the few expanding areas of the UK’s hospitality industry providing skilled rural jobs. It already represents nearly 25% of income for more than 300 English and Welsh vineyards offering a wine tourism experience. For those of you that engage in tourism, whether through cellar door sales, tours, dining, or the provision of on-site accommodation, it is a vital component of both revenue and resilience.
 
WTR snapshot:
In 2024, 1.73 million bottles were sold directly to local customers and visitors at the cellar door.
The WTR proposal is for a capped, de minimis duty relief on up to 50,000 bottles per producer, applied solely to onsite sales.
This targeted support would reduce duty collected on approximately 1.4 million bottles, at an estimated saving to you of £6 million, allowing the government to deliver meaningful economic benefits to rural businesses and communities.

The benefits:
WTR would unlock significant rural economic potential by redirecting excise duty on cellar door sales back into domestic vineyards and wineries.
WTR would also encourage sustained investment in high quality rural jobs.
WTR would provide certainty and build confidence to encourage regular reinvestment.  

3 additional dates to help

  1. In July, our consumer campaign for Wine Tourism Relief will begin. The language is being shaped now by our new head of communication and marketing. We hope you will help get the word out encouraging your customers to contact their MP calling for the relief. The more people supporting the message the better.
     
  2. In the summer, we will launch a campaign lobbying the Chancellor to include WTR in her next budget. The precise message of this campaign will be kept under wraps until nearer the time, but should you want to be involved, please get in touch with WineGB Policy Director Vincent McGovern: vincent@winegb.co.uk
     
  3. In September, we will reply to the Budget consultation and activate ur supportive MPs. We will want your help to email your local MP to get them to make the case to the Treasury.

Activity to date – pitch rolling

Pre-2023 Cellar Door Relief – proposal focused on Government

2023 – 2025 Building Government expectation and honing the offer

16 March Political Launch – scheduled for the Duty Review