Brexit and its Impact on the Wine Trade: Views from Two Independent Wine Retailers

After the vote to leave Andy quickly took the view that he did not want to take any risks with Brexit and moved away from importing wine to solely sourcing his wines from importers, merchants, and distributors. John, however, didn’t and still imports wines today and has plenty to say about his experiences.

John said, “When people ask me what the biggest change to the wine trade has been in recent years, they usually expect me to say climate change, shifting consumer tastes, or the rise of alcohol-free ‘wine.’ But honestly? It’s Brexit. And not in a grand, ideological, ‘sovereignty’ sense — more in a practical, day-to-day, sense.

Before Brexit, you found a winemaker you loved, placed an order, a lorry trundled across the Channel, and the wine arrived. Paperwork existed, yes, but it was largely invisible — like plumbing. You didn’t think about it unless it went wrong, which it rarely did. Now, importing wine feels less like plumbing and more like amateur dentistry.”

Paperwork: the new terroir 

One of the reasons Andy stepped away from importing wine was the paperwork he anticipated. He commented that he’s a wine merchant and it was hard enough doing his VAT returns, end of year accounts and keeping on top of existing paperwork; the last thing he wanted to do was take on anything new.

Obviously, because John is still importing wine, he’s experiencing the brave new world of paperwork. He maligns, “Oh, the forms: EADs (Export Accompanying Document) (often linked with an MRD (Movement Reference Number)), customs declarations, commodity codes, proof of origin, excise movements, duty deferment accounts. Each individual piece makes a sort of sense in isolation, but collectively they form a Kafkaesque tasting note: ‘Aromas of biro ink, with a long, bureaucratic finish.’” 

For large importers with in-house compliance teams, this is a nuisance; for small merchants, it can be existential. Every extra form takes time away from selling wine, serving customers, and visiting vineyards. Many small European producers no longer think the UK market is worth the hassle; it is far easier to sell at home or within the EU.

Costs creep in… everywhere 

John highlights there has been increases in costs over the years: not one dramatic hit, but a steady build-up of surcharges. Things like customs agents, hauliers, warehouses, couriers, and even banks now add costs because the process is more complex. None of these costs is huge on its own, but wine margins are thin. For small importers, every extra £50 or £100 matters.

Importers and distributors have absorbed these incremental costs into their unit prices, Andy has noticed, too. The problem with that is, it is difficult to know whether those increases can be directly attributed to specific Brexit costs, or not. But over the years that there has been a noticeable uplift in prices on lots of EU wine compared to non-EU.

Delays: the enemy of wine

“Wine needs stability, not hot docks and missing reference numbers,” John states. “Since Brexit, delays have become routine: one typo on a customs form can stall a shipment, and one missing stamp can mean days or weeks of chasing emails across borders. For merchants, that means stress. Stock planning becomes guesswork, customers ask where their favourite wine has gone, and cash flow tightens as money is tied up in stock that cannot yet be sold.”

Andy hasn’t specifically had issues with delays, as he deals with organisations where the stock is already in the country. However, he has noticed that sometimes there is vastly more stock available of specific wines, or none at all for others. He presumes, the importer has bought as much stock as possible because they do have the capacity to store the wine. 

The irony: we still love European wine 

John and Andy both agree that Britain still loves European wine. We still drink French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Austrian, and more. Brexit changed not demand but access. It was meant to streamline regulation; in practice, it has created more friction. The UK still largely mirrors EU wine rules but now must prove compliance from the outside. We have gained paperwork without losing complexity.

Small businesses feel it most. 

Large supermarkets have absorbed many of these changes because their back-office teams can manage the extra administrative burden. Independent merchants cannot usually hire additional staff, so the work simply falls on one or two individuals.

Supermarkets can spread added costs across a wider product range, making it easier to hold prices steady in the short term and stay competitive. They have greater bargaining power, which helps them share, reduce, or absorb some costs.

Small wine merchants rely on personality, relationships, and discovery, sourcing distinctive, lesser-known wines because they believe in them, not because they will sell 10,000 cases.

Brexit has pushed the market further towards scale, and consumers lose out, even if they do not always notice it: fewer unusual bottles, fewer adventurous imports, and fewer wines with a story behind them.

So… any upsides? 

It is not all doom and gloom as some merchants have adapted well. They have consolidated suppliers, others import via EU hubs, and some focus more on non-EU wines or buy from larger UK importers instead of importing directly. English wine has benefited, although it remains niche.

“I was thinking about starting to dip my toe back into importing wine,” said Andy. “Given things have settled down and there is less uncertainty on prices. There is a lot of sound advice out there and people know what they are doing now. But given the new global issues, I think I’ll wait a little longer.” 

A lingering aftertaste 

John sums it up by saying, “The biggest negative effect of Brexit on the wine trade is not ideological, or even strictly financial. It is friction, complexity, and the slow loss of spontaneity and joy in trading wine across borders. Wine people are resilient. We deal with fire, mildew, drought, and we will deal with this too, but let us not pretend it has been painless.”

“We will keep importing, drinking, and telling stories about remarkable winemakers. But Brexit has undeniably made it harder, slower, and more expensive to do something Britain has long loved: opening bottles from our nearest neighbours and enjoying them.”

One thing is for sure that both John and Andy have weathered the storm and are still trading. Which goes to show that we are still a nation of shopkeepers! 

Photo & info credit: Nick Fisher

Thank you note:

What started as a simple conversation about a possible article on Brexit unexpectedly turned into something far more meaningful. Your article was marvelously written and incredibly insightful, especially through the voices of the two importers you interviewed.

Hearing Andy and John's firsthand experiences and the real consequences Brexit has had on their businesses gave the piece a depth and authenticity that statistics and headlines alone could never capture.

Thank you, Nick, for approaching the subject with such thoughtfulness and humanity. The article became far more than a discussion about politics — it was a genuine deep dive into the people and realities behind the changes.

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Salute e alla prossima!
E non scordarti: Sii curioso e assaggia sempre qualcosa di nuovo 🍷

👋🏻 Ciao, sono Mihaela Cojocaru DipWSET

Autrice del libro "Metodo WINExcel" - consigli pratici per esportare i tuoi vini con successo" 

Ideatrice dell'Associazione dei venditori di vino WINExcel Association www.winexcel.net

Export Coach 1:1  - WSET Educator  -  Sommelier AIS  - Docente export & digital marketing - Formazione finanziata

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