The UK government spent £97,189 restocking its wine cellars in the last two years, according to government hospitality figures published last week. There are currently 31,090 bottles in stock, with an estimated market value of £3.803million, the figures showed, a slight decline on the £3.941 million estimated in 2022-23. The figures showed that the government cellar was topped up with £49,862 worth of wines during 2023-24, including 888 bottles of white Burgundy, following £47,327 the previous year. Over the two-year period, 1,920 bottles of English sparkling wine were bought, 1,260 bottles of white reception wine and 480 bottles of red reception wine, as well as 60 bottles of gin. The average cost per bottle of wine purchased rose from £17.28 in 2022-23 to £24.66 in 2023-24. Meanwhile, the hospitality wine cellar report also showed that the number of bottles drunk in 2023 to 2024 rose by 4% to 2,813 bottles compared to 2,713 bottles of wines and spirits used in 2022 to 2023, and 1,303 in 2021-22. The cellar, which was set up in 1922 and is located in the basement of Lancaster House in Whitehall, is used to provide guests of the government (both domestic and international) with wines “of appropriate quality at reasonable cost”. A committee for the cellar, which comprises four MWs, also advisex on wines – both those to be used at large-scale receptions, as well as fine wines that can be bought young and matured in the cellar. Over the two-year period, 5,526 bottles of wine
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
