Wine buyers 'opting for quality not quantity'

Online shoppers looking to order wine for parcel delivery are buying better quality, despite the tough economic conditions.

That is the opinion of wine merchant and founder of Laithwaites Wine Tony Laithwaite, who pointed out that while some people are cutting back, others are opting for quality over quantity.

Higher duty on wine means at the bottom of the price range, a very small percentage of the price actually pays for the wine, Mr Laithwaite remarked.

However, "as you go up the price range, towards £10 say, you get a lot more wine in your bottle", he added.

The expert went on to suggest that current sales levels are surprising, but argued it may be down to greater availability of information on choosing the right vintage.

His comments come after it was revealed sales of Italian wine such as pinot grigio have jumped dramatically in the last year, increasing by 12 per cent.