The 10 Cheapest Countries To Buy Wine
โ€” Updated on 14 March 2023

The 10 Cheapest Countries To Buy Wine

โ€” Updated on 14 March 2023
Chris Singh
WORDS BY
Chris Singh

If youโ€™re putting together a travel budget for your big trip this year and you plan on making vino a major part of it, youโ€™ll want to get across the most and least expensive countries to buy a bottle of wine.

Online database CompareMyJet, which is geared toward helping people seeking private jet services find the best deals, has done the hard yards and put together such a round-up, comparing the average price of a bottle of wine across 36 OECD countries. The results? Well, not that youโ€™d really be going there for the wine, but Iceland is unsurprisingly the most expensive, while โ€“ surprisingly โ€“ Portugal is the least.

Portugal is also the worldโ€™s largest consumer of wine per capita, with CompareMyJetโ€™s results indicating 45 litres are consumed per 1,000 people. Given Portugal is the third largest wine producer, the findings make sense, with costs driven down to an average of ยฃ3.49 (AU$6) per bottle. Compare this with Iceland, where a bottle of wine will cost you, on average, ยฃ14.97 (AU$26.79) and you can see the stark difference.

RELATED: The Ultimate Beginnerโ€™s Guide To Wine Collecting

Although jet-setting wine enthusiasts would rarely expect to head off to Reykjavik on a wine-buying spree. The country imports virtually all of its wines, and itโ€™s often incredibly difficult to find a decent bottle outside of a high-end restaurant like Kol Restaurant or Krost (although there are now a fair few wine bars in Icelandโ€™s capital).

Interestingly, Hungary is the second least expensive country to buy wine, with the average bottle priced at ยฃ3.91 (AU$7). Chile clocks in as the third cheapest, with the average bottle set at ยฃ4.17 (AU$7.50). Given both Hungarian wines and Chilean wines are vastly underrated, this is very good news. Next time youโ€™re in Budapest craving a Tokaji, donโ€™t worry if finding some quality drops will stretch your travel budget.

If youโ€™re wondering where Australia comes in, weโ€™re in the top 10 for the most expensive countries for wine. An average bottle down under costs will set you back ยฃ10.96 (AU$20), but obviously, you should consider this a fairly entry-level price. If youโ€™ve ever tried to start a collection, youโ€™ll know just how expensive it can get. And then we have restaurant markups which can easily 3x a bottleโ€™s RRP.

For those curious, here at the top 10 most expensive countries, and the least expensive countries, in which to buy a bottle of wine.


Most Expensive Countries To Buy Wine

CountryAverage Price Of A Bottle Of Wine
1. Icelandยฃ14.97 (AU$27)
2. Norwayยฃ14.35 (AU$26)
3. South Koreaยฃ12.79 (AU$23)
4. United Statesยฃ12.33 (AU$22)
5. Switzerlandยฃ11.07 (AU$20)
6. Australiaยฃ10.96 (AU$20)
7. Finlandยฃ10.47 (AU$19)
8. Irelandยฃ10.47 (AU$19)
9. United Kingdomยฃ9.36 (AU$17)
10. Mexicoยฃ9.14 (AU$14)

RELATED: This $26 Bottle Of South Australian Chardonnay Has Been Crowned The Worldโ€™s Best


Least Expensive Countries To Buy Wine

CountryAverage Price Of A Bottle Of Wine
1. Portugal ยฃ3.49 (AU$6)
2. Hungaryยฃ3.91 (AU$7)
3. Chileยฃ4.17 (AU$7.50)
4. Slovakiaยฃ4.36 (AU$8)
5. Germanyยฃ4.89 (AU$9)
6. Spainยฃ4.89 (AU$9)
7. Austriaยฃ5.24 (AU$9.50)
8. Netherlandsยฃ5.24 (AU$9.50)
9. Sloveniaยฃ5.24 (AU$9.50)
10. Czech Republicยฃ5.41 (AU$10)

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Chris Singh
WORDS by
Chris is a freelance Travel, Food, and Technology writer. He has had work published by The AU Review, Junkee Media and Australian Traveller Media and holds tertiary qualifications in Psychology and Sociology.

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