This is how much wine we paid for the government to drink last year

Around 5,500 bottles of wine and spirits were drunk at government receptions - all funded by the taxpayer - in 2014-2015.

That's a ratio of 8.3 bottles per every MP, or 3.8 bottles each for every member of Parliament and the House of Lords. Since it's unlikely that everyone showed up for every single banquet and reception, that means it's probably fair to say that the vino flows freely at tax-payer funded soirees.

A government report says the cost of the wine in total was £69,433, and £70,432 was spent on replacement stock.

Fine wine and champagne was reserved for banquets, and cheaper stuff for normal receptions. The government has been doing its bit to support the English and Welsh wine industry - almost half of the bottles quaffed within Westminster's walls last year were British in origin.

The government's wine cellar is vast - it contains 34,000 bottles with an estimated market value of £3.1million, according to transparency records, making the average value of a bottle £91.

Cheers!

HT Wine Stats

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