The results are in!!!! Last months wedding wine survey told us what Irish couples REALLY think about Hotel Corkage, and how they plan to buy their wedding wine.
Wedding wine: Corkage charges plummet as 3 in 4 couples say “I don’t” to Hotel Wine
Online wine retailers continue to lead the way as the suppliers of choice for couples getting married in Ireland, according to a joint survey by WeddingDates.ie and WeddingWines.ie.
The wedding wine survey, undertaken in March of this year, questioned engaged couples on a range of issues from hotel corkage to the impact of the economy on their overall wedding plans and budgets. The survey follows a similar initiative by CuriousWines.ie in 2009 to track the changing buying habits of wedding couples.
The most recent survey found that 3 in 4 couples still say “I don’t” to hotel wine, preferring to bring their own wine despite significant falls in the prices of hotel wine. Of those couples purchasing hotel wine, over 4 in 10 reported paying €15 or less per bottle, versus only 1 in 10 two years ago. For those bringing their own wine, whereas more than half paid more than €8 corkage two years ago, less than 3 in 10 do today, with 1 in 6 claiming free corkage from their wedding hotel.
Ciara Crossan, CEO of WeddingDates.ie, acknowledged that hotels have reacted to the tough economic environment: “It’s interesting to note that both wine prices and corkage charges in hotels have fallen significantly in the last two years. So, whilst hotels are fighting to keep the wine business themselves for weddings, they’ve also been pushed hard on corkage charges by couples keen to save money by buying their wine elsewhere.”
Over half of all couples admitted to “cutting back some of the costs” of their wedding due to the current economic climate, with 1 in 10 postponing their wedding because of it. And it’s the online retailers who still appear to be benefiting the most from frugal couples. Almost 1 in 4 engaged couples are considering buying their wedding wine from online retailers, versus 1 in 5 for traditional off-licences or wine stores and 1 in 5 considering supermarkets.
Whereas both hotels and supermarkets are up in couples’ preferences from two years ago, it appears to have come at the expense of overseas suppliers as the latest survey showed a significant fall in the number of people going outside Ireland for their wedding wine.
Michael Kane, Chief Taster for Curious Wines and WeddingWines.ie, said: “The gradual closing of the differential in duty and VAT rates between Ireland and the UK, in particular Northern Ireland, has had a profound impact on the amount of business staying in Ireland. This is great news for everyone in the Irish wine industry and an important factor in sustaining growth, particularly in the independent sector. It confirms once again, people shop around and wedding couples are amongst the most savvy.”
Now what are you waiting for!?!?!? Go buy your Wedding Wine Online >>
