VAT, Customs & Excise in the UK has long since proved to be a baffling area for the majority of the UK’s visiting wine producers and indeed many wine event organisers themselves.  Whether you’re planning to show your wines at a trade fair, an exhibition or a generic tasting, issues such as …

Who do I pay the duty to?   How?    When?   

and what happens when I return to my home country with unsold samples?

… inevitably crop up and have tended to be a bit of a grey area. Until now!

EHD London, No1 bonded wine warehouse, has earned a reputation in the wine industry for understanding the intricacies of UK VAT Customs & Excise laws and translating these into workable and cost-effective solutions for their clients. 

With a capacity of 35,000 sq ft, holding 180,000 cases of wine and located literally metres from the entrance of Twickenham’s landmark Rugby Stadium, EHD’s bonded wine warehouse meets with the very latest of HM Revenue & Customs regulations and the company prides itself on simplifying the process for producers and providing cost-effective solutions for wineries worldwide.

In the run up to this year’s La Dolce Vita exhibition at London's Olympia, a potential issue arose whereby all 45 of Italy’s top wine producers such as Petra, Malenchini and Borgo delle Oche - who were due to be showcasing their wines, many of whom for the first time in the UK - were faced with the dilemma of paying ALL the duty on their goods, in advance.  Michael Phelps, Managing Director of EHD London said:

“Less than a week before the event, there looked to be a genuine risk that all the La Dolce Vita exhibiting wine producers could be forced to pull out!  The Show Director called me on the recommendation of another group of event organisers and asked if we could help … and we were happy to provide a turnkey solution. 

From our experience with UK wine trade fairs, we’ve devised a fully HMR&C compliant method of accounting for duty which enables overseas producers to attend UK shows without incurring excise duty on their stock, only on what they sell or use as samples … and it’s proving incredibly popular with the trade.”

Offering a highly personalised service which, on this occasion, included the translation of the Introduction and Rules of Bond documentation into Italian, EHD London aims to make its clients’ warehousing and distribution services as hassle free as possible. 

Throughout the four days of La Dolce Vita, the EHD London team were on hand to advise and assist the producers and they also provided a specialist wine delivery service for all orders taken at the show. 

EHD London is unique in that it’s sister company is the on-line wine auction site Cellar21.com.  Following the event a number of the producers have opted to consign their remaining stock to Cellar21.com under bond … saving the hassle and duty implications of returning to Italy with unsold cases the wine and offering unrepresented producers a much sought-after initial point of entry into the UK marketplace.

With over 200 different product lines on show in this year’s wine section at La Dolce Vita, this latest Italian challenge has represented a significant logistical operation for EHD London - consigning the stock to bond, accounting for the duty and ensuring that the right wine was with the right producer in time for the show opening – hassle free and all very much at the eleventh hour. 

Offering a comprehensive, competitive and personalised solution for wine producers, EHD London has proved that it’s prepared to go that extra mile for its clients.