Brilliant booze bargains!

by Rachel Wait on 26 January 2010  |  23 comments
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Fight back against the Government's latest plan to push up the cost of alcohol by checking out these top booze bargains.

Sometimes, it feels like the Government enjoys penalising us for enjoying the good things in life. And if its latest move is anything to go by, we could soon be paying even more for alcohol.

That's right, the government is coming up with plans to cut binge-drinking in Britain by increasing the minimum price of a unit of alcohol. The aim behind this is to stop pubs and supermarkets selling alcohol at discounted prices. And as a result, the cheapest alcoholic drinks sold by supermarkets could more than double.

Now, we don't encourage binge-drinking here at lovemoney.com - but we are pretty frugal, and we absolutely love finding ways to save you money. After all, there's nothing wrong with wanting to pay less for your booze, as long as you drink responsibly. So here's a round-up of our top booze bargains, before the price hikes come into place:

Supermarket deals

At Tesco, you can currently enjoy up to 50% off cases of wine - for example, you can snap up a case of six bottles of Vibrant White Wine for just £28. That's equivalent to £4.67 per bottle. If you'd prefer not to have to buy a case, however, selected wines are also on a 'two bottles for £8' offer, or a 'three bottles for £10' offer.

And if you're a whisky drinker, you can currently save £10 on a 1 litre bottle of Glenfiddich Malt Whisky - which is now £29.99 - and £5 on a 70Cl bottle of Glenmorangie 10 Year Old Malt Whisky - which is now £24.28.

Moving onto Sainsbury's, and here you can pick up three bottles of various ales - such as Wychwood Hobgoblin Extra Strong Ale and Tanglefoot Ale - for £4. If you're more partial to a glass of wine, you can also enjoy three bottles for £10. 

Similarly, at Asda, you can also pick up three bottles of wine for £10, as well as two packs of Fosters lager for £12.

Don't forget to also check out your local deep discounter - such as Aldi, Lidl, or Netto - as these are usually packed with offers. Both Netto and Aldi, for example, are offering selected wines from just £2.99.

Pub offers

It's always well worth checking out your local bars to see whether they have any happy hour deals to make the most of - because soon they could be a thing of the past. To get you in the mood, here are a few pub deals to enjoy.

If you live in London, and you're near a B@1 bar, you can take advantage of 2 for 1 cocktails every day! Alternatively, register on latenightlondon.co.uk and you can print off a voucher to enjoy up to 50% off your food and drink bill throughout January at various London bars.

Pitcher and Piano is also offering up to 50% off its wines and champagnes throughout January, which means you can pick up a bottle of wine from just £6.50.

Wine clubs

If you're a real wine connoisseur, you could consider joining a wine club. Virgin Wines is currently offering a welcome case of 12 wines for half price at £44.99. Plus, you'll receive at least 20% off any future Discovery Wine Club cases, as well as the chance to buy further wine at a 15% discount. By joining the Discovery Wine Club, you'll receive wine every quarter, and if you're not happy, you can ask for a refund. What's more, you can cancel your membership at any time.

On the other hand, you could simply take part in the Virgin Wine Auction online instead, where all cases start from just 99p! You're likely to make some serious savings, so it's well worth a punt!

Alternatively, if you fancy joining the Sunday Times Wine Club, you can currently save £45 if you sign up to the A Taste of Spain deal. With this deal, you'll get 15 bottles of Spanish red wine for £49.99 (plus £6.99 for delivery). You can get your wine delivered every two months, or every three, and again, if you don't like any of the wine, you can ask for a refund.

Wine clubs can seem expensive, but providing you're serious about your wine drinking, the benefits can be huge.

Booze cruise

It's also well worth checking out the latest offer from P&O Ferries. For £19, you can now buy a return ticket (for a car and up to nine people) for a day trip from Dover to Calais. And as an extra bonus, you'll be able to claim a FREE case of Ernest & Julio Gallo Winemaker's Seal wine (red or white). 

You'll need to collect your six free bottles of wine on your outward journey, from your ferry's onboard shop. 

The offer is valid for travel between now and 25 March (excluding 12, 13, 20 and 21 February). Just make sure you book before 10 February to get the deal. You can find out more about the offer on this page of the P&O Ferries website.

Wacky ways

Alternatively, if you really want to save money on alcohol, you could sign up for free wine tastings - Majestic Wine, for example, is currently offering a free two hour wine tasting session - you can find out more here.

Or why not investigate events such as art gallery openings? You're bound to pick up some free alcohol here! Or simply make sure you've got a friend who works in a bar, and hope he/she will supply you with free drinks!

Finally, if have any tips for hunting down booze bargains, however wacky, why not share them with other lovemoney.com members using the comments box below?

If you like bargains, check out our new Frugal Friday blog, which rounds up the hottest bargains, freebies and discounts available on the high street, every Friday. If you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow the blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a bargain again - register now.

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