Wine: Treasure your wine merchant

THESE are not good days to be a wine lover, but spare a thought for anyone foolish enough to turn their love of wine into a career.

Following the recent excise increase of 50 cents on a bottle of wine, it seems to me that the Government is trying to close down independent wine merchants and importers.

Since the 2012 budget increase, there have been 11 off-licence closures, resulting in a loss of 60 jobs, according to NOffLA, the independent off-licence trade organisation. This increase will bring more closures, perhaps as many as 30, if NOffLA predictions are correct.