As an Italian wine merchant UK customers rely on, Donzella Wines has been working behind the scenes over the past few months to source new wines, improve quality, and find smarter ways to keep costs down all while maintaining our focus on authentic Italian wines and reliable UK-based delivery.
As many of you know, we pride ourselves on being transparent, so we wanted to give you a quick update on what’s changing and more importantly, what isn’t.
UK-Based Stock As Always
First things first: all of our wine stock remains here in the UK. This means fast delivery, no hidden surprises, and the same reliable service you’re used to. 99.95% of our parcel arrive next day, 6 days a week!
Cost Pressures (And Keeping It Real)
We won’t dress it up costs across the board have gone up.
- UK duty on wine has increased, meaning some incoming wines are now more expensive (When we re-order them and get them transported, all wines present in our warehouse HAVE not increased in price and will stay the same.)
- Transport costs from Italy to England have risen
- Courier fuel costs have increased, resulting in a small 10p increase per parcel (We’ve gone through every part of our packaging cardboard, bubble wrap, bottle protectors, all tapes and labels to keep this increase down to just 10p per parcel. Without that, it would have been closer to £2.)
- General business costs staff, electricity, rent, and rates have all climbed (Thanks for the 15% discount on a 785% increase!)
We’ve absorbed as much of this as possible, but a few small adjustments have been unavoidable.
That said, we’re constantly working to find smarter sourcing methods and efficiencies to keep prices as fair as possible.
Updated Delivery Options
| Option | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery Wine Bottle | £5.05 | Single-bottle protective packaging |
| Delivery Wine Box | £6.95 | Holds 6 bottles (ships up to 12 for the same price) |
| DPD Pickup Shop | £4.25 | Collect from your nearest DPD Pickup point |
| Collection (Store Pickup) | Free | 2–3 Stanley Court, Weston Road, Olney, MK46 5NH |
New Wines Just Landed
Despite everything going on, we’ve still managed to bring in some exciting new bottles:
- Passuluna Rosso IGT Sicilia 2024 (Nero d’Avola & Syrah)
- Levius White Trocken (Alto Adige, Moscato Style)
- Bardolino Chiaretto DOC 2024 Rosé
- Monferrato DOC Nebbiolo
These are exactly the kind of wines we love authentic, character-driven, and not something you’ll just stumble across in the supermarket.
A Bit of Perspective
Running a small independent wine business in today’s climate isn’t exactly easy but we’re not here to complain.
We’ll just say this: when costs go up everywhere, you either pass everything on… or you get creative.
We’re choosing the second option, by being smart, thinking "outside of the box" We've managed to keep this increase low. On another note, all the wines we have in stock now have NOT increased in price and have been kept the same, any new wines from now the new taxation will apply.
Private Wine Tastings — Now Available
On a more positive note, we’ve recently started offering 1:1 private wine tastings and they’ve been going exceptionally well.
Guests are now joining us at Locanda Gabriella in Olney to explore a selection of wines in a relaxed, informal setting with absolutely no pressure to purchase anything.
It’s simply about enjoying great wine, discovering something new, and having a proper experience with us.
Thank You
Your support genuinely means everything. Every order helps us keep doing what we love finding and sharing proper Italian wines.
We’ll keep pushing, keep sourcing, and keep bringing you wines worth discovering.
Thank you!
Giovanni, Julie & Nicholas
Donzella Ltd
