Bad news wine lovers, it looks like you could be set to pay significantly more for a bottle of your favorite Vino, as the Oireachtas Health Committee are currently calling on the Government to set a new minimum price for a unit of alcohol.
Under the new proposals the cost of wine will rise to €1.10 per unit, the new price would see the minimum price for a bottle of wine set at €10. The move is being proposed by Consultant endocrinologist, Professor Donal O’Shea, who believes that the new measure needs to be introduced to protect the health of the Irish public.
Prof O’Shea said: “Ireland has taken the lead in public health measures before, smoking being the best example, and minimum unit price will affect alcohol consumption in Ireland and it will stop the really-low-rice selling that, in particular, supermarkets do.”
The news will most likely not be welcome by the National Vintners Association as they believe that alcohol sales have significantly dropped due to Ireland having the highest prices for alcoholic beverages in the EU. A survey conducted last week revealed that the price of alcohol here is a massive 70% higher than our EU counterparts.