Why Garda DOC wines are well placed to sell in the UK
Following rule changes that allow 9% ABV wines to be produced from around the shores of Italy’s largest lake, Garda DOC is well placed to sell in the UK. db considers why.
The reason has less to do with wellness trends than with tax policy – and the economics of mainstream retail.
Although many in the drinks industry cite health and wellness as the motivation behind stocking lower-ABV wines, the reality for UK trade buyers is more straightforward: lower ABV means lower duty, and lower duty means more competitive shelf prices.
Since February 2025, when the UK replaced its flat duty rate with a graduated system tied to each 0.5% movement in ABV, a small difference in alcohol content can translate into a significant shift in retail price – enough to push a wine across a key price threshold and directly affect sales volume.
Under the new regime, a standard wine at 13.5% ABV attracts duty of £3.10 per 75cl bottle, falling to £2.64 at 11.5% and £2.07 at 9%. Below 8.5% – at which point a product no longer conforms to the EU definition of wine, with a few exceptions such as Germany’s Kabinett Rieslings – the rate drops further to £1.50 (See duty table below). With VAT at 20% applied on top of the duty-inclusive price, and further margins applied along the supply chain, these differences compound at the shelf. In a market where 90% of wine is sold below £10, with the bulk of volume moving at £7.50 to £9 – usually on promotion – the ability to keep prices below key thresholds is commercially decisive.
Naturally low in alcohol
It is in this context that Garda DOC’s recent rule changes take on particular significance. As previously reported by db, in time for the 2025 harvest, after six years of development, Garda DOC became the first consorzio in Italy to approve the production of wines at 9% ABV – permitted particularly for its Garganega-based white wines, although Pinot Grigio rosés (ramati) are also allowed.
Crucially, these lower-ABV wines must not be de-alcoholised: the reduction must be achieved through natural means, principally earlier harvesting before grape sugars escalate. Nor can producers offset lower alcohol with higher residual sugar, as the existing rules on sweetness levels continue to apply.
At the same time, the consorzio has introduced a new category for its traditional-method sparkling wines – crémant – while producers may also now craft varietally-labelled Garganega tank-method fizz.
A competitive advantage in the UK
Taken together, these changes reflect a denomination responding to the direction of market trends: consumers seeking varietal labelling, a growing demand for crémant as an alternative to pricier Franciacorta/Champagne, and UK buyers actively sourcing wines at lower ABVs. So far, only three producers have made a Garda DOC wine at 9% from the 2025 vintage – but the broader direction among Italian white wine producers is clearly downward in terms of alcohol, particularly for the UK.
Garda DOC is well-suited to this shift. The region’s dominant variety, Garganega, has a long vegetative cycle and accumulates sugars slowly – in contrast to more international varieties such as Chardonnay – meaning producers can maintain the character of their traditional wines even at reduced alcohol levels. This gives Garda the agronomic foundation to produce appealing wines at 9-11% ABV, ahead of competitor denominazioni that have yet to authorise production at 9%.
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The commercial backdrop is already encouraging. Consorzio president Paolo Fiorini told db that the umbrella region – which unites 10 historical denominations including Soave and Valpolicella – has grown from 20.4 million bottles in 2022 to 23.4 million in 2025, with 80% of that volume exported.
Maintaining quality and style
A word of caution, however. Italy already enjoys a structural advantage under the new duty regime, given its long tradition of producing light whites at around 11% ABV, particularly from Pinot Grigio. But pushing further to 9% risks compromising the flavour and textural appeal that makes those wines worth buying in the first place. Drinkers continue to associate wine quality with body, texture and ripeness, and lower-alcohol wine only succeeds when the trade-off is imperceptible. That matters all the more given that UK consumers are not, in fact, actively seeking out lower ABVs at the shelf. What draws them in is an attractive price, striking packaging and clear lifestyle associations; it is product quality that drives repeat purchase. Lower ABV is a means to a price point, not a selling point in itself.
Italy has navigated this balance successfully before. Prosecco – almost universally bottled at 11% – connected a new generation of drinkers with lighter, more accessibly-priced sparkling wine, a momentum sustained by its rosé variant and the ubiquitous Aperol spritz. Before Prosecco, Moscato demonstrated similar appeal at 5.5-7% ABV, albeit primarily in the US market.
Could lower-ABV Garda DOC wines follow a similar trajectory? The region has real advantages: a naturally suited grape variety, a pioneer position among Italian DOCs at 9%, and strong lifestyle associations – fine dining, intense light, clean air and water sports linked to the shores of Italy’s largest lake, with its 13 million annual visitors. It will not displace Prosecco DOC, with its production of some 700 million bottles – nor Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC with over 200m. But Garda DOC has a credible opportunity to offer the UK market something distinct: light and genuinely affordable wines, with a natural story to tell.
UK Wine Excise Duty (per 75cl bottle)
| ABV | Duty |
| 0%–1.2% | £0.00 |
| 1.3%–3.4% | £0.55 |
| 3.5%–8.4% | £1.50 |
| 8.5% | £1.95 |
| 9.0% | £2.07 |
| 9.5% | £2.18 |
| 10.0% | £2.30 |
| 10.5% | £2.41 |
| 11.0% | £2.53 |
| 11.5% | £2.64 |
| 12.0% | £2.76 |
| 12.5% | £2.87 |
| 13.0% | £2.99 |
| 13.5% | £3.10 |
| 14.0% | £3.22 |
| 14.5% | £3.33 |
| 15.0% | £3.44 |
The previous easement, which taxed all wines between 11.5% and 14.5% at a flat rate of £2.67, ended on 1 February 2025. Wines are now taxed precisely according to their labelled ABV. VAT at 20% is charged on top of the duty-inclusive price, meaning the total shelf price saving to the consumer is proportionally higher than the duty saving alone.
Garda DOC: the changes brought in with the 2025 harvest
- 9% ABV Low-Alcohol Wines
- Made primarily from the native Garganega grape, often blended with Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Made naturally lighter in alcohol achieved via modern viticultural and cellar techniques.
- New “Crémant” Sparkling Rules
- Garda is adopting the international ‘Crémant’ term, which it sees as sitting between Prosecco (tank method sparkling) and Franciacorta (traditional method, and like Champagne in positioning). Garda DOC Crémant’ must undergo a minimum of 12 months of aging on the lees before release.
- Other Key Changes
- Pinot Grigio Ramato Rosato: A skin-contact, copper-colored rosé wine has been approved under Garda DOC regulations.
- Grape Varieties Müller-Thurgau and Rebo have been newly authorized across still and sparkling wine categories.
About Garda DOC
Garda DOC extends to over 31,000 hectares, with nearly 28,000ha in the province of Verona, and the rest in Brescia and Mantova.
Within this wide area, there are ten historic DOCs: Valtènesi, San Martino della Battaglia, Lugana, Colli Mantovani, Custoza, Bardolino, Valpolicella, Valdadige, Durello and Soave, all clustered around Italy’s largest lake.
Garda DOC gives producers in these appellations the ability to produce other wines, often from international grape varieties like Chardonnay which was first planted here in the 1980s.
Lake Garda spans 370 square kilometers and attracts 13 million holidaymakers annually. Located in Northern Italy between the Alps and the Po Valley, the vast body of water touches three regions: Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige.
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