Patrons at Belfast’s top restaurants are paying a higher mark up on wine than anywhere else in the UK, it has been claimed.
According to research, Belfast tops the league table with prices in restaurants 234% more when compared to retail prices.
That means a bottle of wine you might buy for £10 from a retailer could cost you almost £25 when dining out.
The survey looked at the price of five randomly chosen bottles of wine from five of the most popular restaurants in Belfast, based on TripAdvisor reviews.
Menu wine prices at the selected restaurants were then compared to retail prices.
The research found the inflation rate ranges from 179% to 290%, depending on the establishment and the bottle.
For example, a bottle of wine at popular steak and seafood restaurant in Belfast could be setting diners back twice as much as the retail price.
Its cheapest bottle of wine, the Wildflower Pinot Grigio is priced at £21.95 a bottle.
Meanwhile a similar wine can be bought for £8.99 from Direct Wine Shipments, less than half the price.
Similarly a bottle of Rioja Vega will set you back £29 at the restaurant, while a similar bottle is available from £11.99 from Direct Wine Shipment.
For wine connoisseurs, a bottle of the the Rioja Vega Reserva can be bought from the same retailer for £17.99.
According to the research carried out by WhichBingo, London followed at a distant second with an average mark-up of 186%, while Newcastle wasn’t far behind at 185%.
Birmingham and Liverpool round out the top five, with wine price inflations of 178% and 169%, respectively.
