LWC responds to 2025 duty increases with launch of 8% wine range

LWC, the UK’s largest independent drinks wholesaler and wine specialist has partnered with South African winery, Overhex Wines, to create ‘Kamina,’ a range of lower ABV wines that offer customers more choice ahead of February’s duty increase.

Consisting of three consumer favourites; Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé and Merlot, the exclusive-to-LWC range of light, sessionable wines come in at 8% ABV, providing a more accessible, duty-friendly price point, along with better options for those looking to moderate their alcohol intake.

Using an innovative technique to reduce the ABV, Kamina takes a quantity of the wine and fully de-alcoholises it before blending it back in with the original wine, ensuring that the finished product maintains the flavour, structure and texture of conventionally made wine, but at a reduced ABV.

Shaun Healy, Wine Director for LWC commented:

LWC is delighted to be partnering with Overhex on a range of 8% wines that not only support customers from a cost perspective, but also lend themselves excellently to changing consumer lifestyle habits.

With the upcoming duty hikes, operators – and ultimately the end consumer – are really going to feel the pinch when it comes to wine, but we cannot let this impact the quality of wines entering the market. By launching Kamina to the on-trade, we are ensuring that customers have lower cost, ‘lighter’ options, readily available, that do not compromise on taste or quality.

A common criticism of low-alcohol wines is that they can sometimes lack the same mouthfeel or experience as a full-strength wine, and that’s where the Kamina range is different. After trialling many of the different methods that can be used to reduce the strength of these wines, it was clear that the technique Overhex has landed on gives the best quality, ensuring the varietal character of these wines still shines through.

With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, plus a shift towards more moderated drinking, the Kamina range ticks both boxes, offering the perfect combination of quality and value.