Welcome to Wine Wednesday, Everyone. I have come across several articles on the fact that the price of wine is increasing. It seems like the price of everything is rising, so I guess we should not be surprised that the cost of wine is on the rise also.
The cost of wine may be going up because of the glass bottle. According to several articles I have read, the cost of glass has gone up 20% in some places. The weight of the bottles is also a cost issue. The heavy bottles take up more gas during shipping, so the shipping cost will go up as well.
It takes a lot of energy to make the bottles. There is a link between the energy needed to make the bottles and the cost of oil. With the war raging in Ukraine, most countries have stopped buying Russian oil in protest, which I think is the right thing to do. The oil that was once purchased from Russia at a minimal cost is now being bought elsewhere at a much higher price, affecting the cost of many things, including wine.
The winemakers and distributors will need to pass the increased prices on to their customers with all this in mind.
I am seeing this in real-time because I just received a notification that I will be charged a higher price for shipping the wine I order from my wine club. They have raised the amount of money you have to spend and the amount of wine you have to buy to receive free shipping. They now say I must purchase $200 worth of wine to get free shipping. I have never ordered that much wine. One problem is I would not be able to carry the box. I understand why they are doing this, but I don’t have to like it. This price increase may be why I have to cancel the club, but I don’t blame them; times are tough.
They sent a graph of why they are increasing their prices…yep, times are tough.
Another reason for the increased prices is the supply chain issues. These issues are affecting everyone, not just the wine industry.
Back to the glass bottles. Some say we will be moving to boxed wine, aluminum canned wine, and even reusable wine bottles to solve some of the expanding wine problems. I guess time will tell.
I’m sorry this was a depressing article, but it is a reality. Maybe now we will sip our wine a bit slower so it will last a bit longer:-)
Happy Wine Sipping!
KathieyV