The recent budget has marked another increase in the price of wine in the United Kingdom. Although you can’t get away with not paying tax altogether (unless you take a trip to your favourite wine’s country of origin to buy it, which could be difficult if your favourite happens to be from the Southern hemisphere) there are ways of making sure you get the most for your money.

Using an online wine service is a great way to make the most of your pounds. You can research the wine online; saving you the time of wandering around a shop and the petrol it would take you to get to the shop in the first place. There is information on each wine, detailing what it tastes like, what it is ideally served with and where it comes from. Buying online means that you don’t have to read the label of every bottle in a shop – the information is easy to read and close at hand. There is also helpful sales advice available by e-mail or by phone when you need it. You can choose what goes into a case of wine; there is no need to buy 12 bottles of the same wine; and you can select a diverse selection, knowing that you have the perfect occasion for each bottle.

In addition to buying online, it makes sense to buy from an independent wine retailer. This will save you money and ensure that you get a better quality of product. An independent company is able to pass savings directly on to the customer, as well as being able to procure products that a multinational would not even be able to consider. Using an independent wine retailer also means cutting out the middle man. They buy directly from the vineyard, passing the savings onto you directly. Also, due to lower overheads and the ability to buy in smaller quantities from real wine producers rather than wine ‘factories’, an independent can offer a wider selection of wines at a better price, and where else would you be able to get more interesting, characterful wines from vineyards you can only dream of getting from a larger organisation?

In these days of sustainability and climate change, it is also the independent online supplier who can provide you with an alternative to the supermarket and its love of excessive packaging. No need to have unnecessary plastic bags supplied with everything, or to have the wine shipped from the vineyard to a middle man, then to the ports system, then to another middleman, then the supermarket, then to yourself. Buying from an independent means that the wine is sent direct from the procurer, almost straight to your door – saving the cost of at least one journey, and saving you money.

And buying online doesn’t mean the product will be damaged or badly presented when it gets to you. It’s such a convenient and easy way to buy all those heavy bottles – to have them swiftly and securely delivered to you. In reality also, all products are packaged well and delivered in good condition direct to your door, allowing you to just get on with the serious business – enjoying your wine.