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Red, white or rosé. Still or sparkling. The variety of wines available is almost endless.

Whether you are importing still wine or sparkling wine (such as Champagne or Prosecco), understanding how UK Customs classifies and taxes wine is essential.

Need help importing wine? Contact our Imports Team for expert advice and a competitive quote: Phone: 0800 690 6310 Email: enquiries@ukimportservices.com

UK Customs mainly classifies wine based on the type of stopper:

• Sparkling wine usually has a mushroom-shaped stopper held in place with wire (e.g. Champagne, Prosecco, Cava).
• Still wine has a standard cork or screw cap.

Tip: Even if the internal pressure is low, a mushroom stopper normally means the wine is classed as sparkling for duty purposes.

UK Excise Duty on Wine (Current Rates)

Duty is charged per litre of pure alcohol and depends on the strength (ABV):

• 3.5% – 8.5% ABV → £26.61
• 8.5% – 22% ABV → £30.62
• Above 22% ABV → £33.99

Important Note on High-Strength Wine

If a wine exceeds 22% ABV, it is still legally classified as wine, but for excise duty purposes it is taxed at the same higher rate as spirits (£33.99 per litre of pure alcohol).

This mainly affects certain fortified wines such as some Ports, Sherries, or speciality high-strength wines. Most standard table wines (11–15% ABV) fall well below this threshold.

Note on Small Producer Relief (SPR):

Small Producer Relief can apply to wine below 8.5% ABV if the producer is small. However, because most wine is stronger than 8.5% ABV, this relief rarely applies to standard still or sparkling wines.

Next Steps

Contact our Imports Team today for a clear quote and full support with shipping, customs clearance, and duty calculations.

• Phone: 0800 690 6310
• Email: enquiries@ukimportservices.com

If you found this interesting, you may be interested in these other pages:

• Excise Duty Rates
• Importing Wine
• Importing Beer
• Importing Spirits
• Importing Cider