If youโre putting together a travel budget for your big trip this year and you plan on making vino a major part of it, youโll 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 youโd 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 worldโs largest consumer of wine per capita, with CompareMyJetโs 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.
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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 itโs 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 Icelandโs 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 youโre in Budapest craving a Tokaji, donโt worry if finding some quality drops will stretch your travel budget.
If youโre wondering where Australia comes in, weโre 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 youโve ever tried to start a collection, youโll know just how expensive it can get. And then we have restaurant markups which can easily 3x a bottleโs 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
Country | Average Price Of A Bottle Of Wine |
1. Iceland | ยฃ14.97 (AU$27) |
2. Norway | ยฃ14.35 (AU$26) |
3. South Korea | ยฃ12.79 (AU$23) |
4. United States | ยฃ12.33 (AU$22) |
5. Switzerland | ยฃ11.07 (AU$20) |
6. Australia | ยฃ10.96 (AU$20) |
7. Finland | ยฃ10.47 (AU$19) |
8. Ireland | ยฃ10.47 (AU$19) |
9. United Kingdom | ยฃ9.36 (AU$17) |
10. Mexico | ยฃ9.14 (AU$14) |
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Least Expensive Countries To Buy Wine
Country | Average Price Of A Bottle Of Wine |
1. Portugal | ยฃ3.49 (AU$6) |
2. Hungary | ยฃ3.91 (AU$7) |
3. Chile | ยฃ4.17 (AU$7.50) |
4. Slovakia | ยฃ4.36 (AU$8) |
5. Germany | ยฃ4.89 (AU$9) |
6. Spain | ยฃ4.89 (AU$9) |
7. Austria | ยฃ5.24 (AU$9.50) |
8. Netherlands | ยฃ5.24 (AU$9.50) |
9. Slovenia | ยฃ5.24 (AU$9.50) |
10. Czech Republic | ยฃ5.41 (AU$10) |