Wine drinkers could face supermarket shortages this summer after workers at the UK’s largest wine bottling plant voted to go on strike in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The Encirc plant in Bristol, which bottles nearly 300 million litres of wine a year and supplies all major UK supermarkets, will see industrial action from Thursday until July 5, union Unite has confirmed. The site handles around 40 per cent of the UK’s wine bottling, including products for 18 of the top 20 wine brands sold in Britain—such as Hardys, Villa Maria, McGuigan, and celebrity-backed labels from Graham Norton and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The strike will involve 200 workers, with Unite organising staggered walkouts across different parts of the business to maximise disruption. While immediate shortages are unlikely due to stockpiling and industry lead times, insiders warn that if the dispute is prolonged, wine containers arriving at UK ports could start backing up, with supply disruptions expected later in the summer.
John Sweeney, regional officer at Unite, said: “There is no doubt that this action will hit supermarket shelves. While shortages may be frustrating for customers looking to enjoy a bottle of wine this summer, the situation is entirely of Encirc’s own making.”
At the heart of the dispute is a 3.2 per cent pay rise offer from Encirc, owned by Spanish parent company Vidrala, alongside proposals to link future pay increases to inflation and remove collective bargaining rights—moves the union says would allow the company to impose terms without negotiation.
Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham described the company’s stance as a case of corporate greed rather than financial necessity.
“Encirc’s meanness to its workers is all about greed and not need,” she said. “We will not stand idly by and allow Encirc to steal our members’ hard-won rights. Encirc workers deserve better and they have our full support throughout this dispute.”
The Encirc plant plays a crucial role in the UK wine supply chain, especially for new world wines, which are imported in large shipping containers and bottled locally to reduce both costs and carbon emissions. The company’s Bristol facility is regarded as one of the most sustainable of its kind globally, operating with zero waste and powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity.
In a statement, Encirc said it was “incredibly disappointed” with the strike and defended its pay offer, noting that the current proposal would mean wages had risen by over 16 per cent in less than two years at the Bristol site.
“We have worked hard to not only uplift pay and conditions, but to create a truly great place to work,” the company said. “We remain open to dialogue with the union in good faith and are doing all we can to mitigate any impact on supply.”
Industry insiders say rival bottling facilities — such as Kingsland and Greencroft — may be able to ramp up production to reduce pressure, but it remains unclear whether they can fill the potential gap if the strike is prolonged.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association and several major supermarkets have been approached for comment. For now, retailers and consumers alike are watching closely — with summer wine shelves potentially at risk of running dry.