The Ideal Wine Company was left
more than a little horrified this week when that we learned 18,000 bottles of
wine are going to be poured down the drain.
Wine Enthusiasts of the Highest Degree
We may be a supplier of luxury
vintages at reasonable prices, but that is not all the Ideal Wine Company is.
We are wine enthusiasts of the highest degree, which is why we love what we do.
Therefore, we’re of the opinion
that a drop of wine should never be wasted – each drop should be savoured and
explored as it dances on the palate. That is why we were left stunned and
shocked, when we heard that a judge in the UK has ordered 18,000 bottles of
wine to be poured down the drain.
Wine Worth £155,000 to be Disposed Of
According to the Telegraph,
District Judge Pam Baldwin ordered 18,000 bottles owned by wine wholesalers,
A.G Peters to be disposed. Collectively, the vintages were worth £155,000, and
included noted labels such as J.P Chenet, Hardy’s, Blossom Hill and Echo Falls.
The order followed raids of the
wholesalers’ warehouses across Lancashire and West Yorkshire, which revealed a
large scale effort to the £2 duty charge which the law demands must be paid on
every bottle. According to a spokesman for Customs and Excise "the wine
will be quite simply be destroyed....poured down the drain."
No Reason to Think the Duty Was Not Being Paid
The wholesalers have fiercely
denied that they avoided paying duty tax on their wine intentionally. A.G
Peter’s manager director, Stephen Frazer, spoke out on the matter, saying:
"We sell 15,000 cases of
wine a week. I need a quick turnaround on stock. I don't want stock on the
warehouse floor for more than a fortnight. I don't know where this pallet of
wine came from, it should not have been there.
"We cut prices because we
market loss leaders....that is how we can compete with the buying power of say
Tesco. I did my due diligence checks on my suppliers and had no reason to think
duty of the wine we handle had not been paid."
Ideal Wine Company Has Been Left in Mourning
We can’t be sure whether that
claim holds an ounce of validity or not. Nevertheless if nothing else, this
story has left the Ideal Wine Company in mourning. These bottles may not have
been luxury vintages, but wine should never be wasted!
