French and New World wine prices soar over English vintages

British drinkers stocking up on their favourite wine for Christmas may find they need a stiff drink at the checkout. The plunge in the value of the pound has meant the cost of buying wine from the big wine-producing regions – including the Continent, Americas, Australia and South Africa – has shot up dramatically. But this may prove a boon to Britain’s fast-growing wine producers, making their vintages more price competitive than foreign rivals.