A wine company has revealed why vineyards sell their best bottles at steep discounts and without labels.
If you know your way around the grapes, then there are plenty of bottles that jump out at you from the shelves.
What you may not know is that some producers sell the same wines we’ve come to know and love, but at lower prices and without labels.
Laithwaites, the UK’s most successful family-owned wine merchant, explains that these “cleanskin” wines are a great way for customers to buy premium bottles of vino, but without the hefty price tag.
The phenomenon is well known in the wine industry, but is most commonly used in Australia and New Zealand, rather than the UK.
A cleanskin wine is sold in a standard bottle with either no label at all, or just a plain, minimal label. Sometimes it just has a barcode or basic vintage/varietal info, rather than the winery’s full branded packaging.
The reason wineries like selling bottles as cleanskins is that when they have surplus stock which they can’t sell under their own label, selling it anonymously protects their brand while reducing waste.
For the customer, this means premium wine from trusted producers at exceptional value.
Laithwaites‘ range of cleanskin wines is sourced from high-quality wineries and sold without their original branding, meaning you can get exceptional value on hidden gems from respected producers.
These wines often come from surplus stock, exclusive parcels, or limited releases from renowned wineries, allowing customers to enjoy wines from famous areas such as Barossa, Bordeaux, Rioja, Mendoza and Margaret River for a fraction of the usual cost.
Every wine is selected and approved by Laithwaites’ expert buying team, ensuring customers can buy with confidence.
The range is perfect for customers who focus on what’s in the bottle rather than the label and what may be considered trendy at that given moment, giving them the chance to uncover great wines they may not otherwise try.
Even better, new customers can get a 25% discount off Laithwaites Cleanskin range using the voucher code: SECRET25
Laithwaites is a family-run wine merchant founded in 1969 by Tony Laithwaite. For over 50 years, it has connected customers directly with independent winemakers around the world, built on a commitment to quality, authenticity and discovery. Through long-standing producer relationships and a focus on sourcing distinctive wines, Laithwaites has become one of the UK’s most trusted names in wine.
Five reasons why wineries sell cleanskins
- Surplus/overrun stock: A winery produces more of a particular batch than it can sell under its main label, so the excess is bottled generically and sold cheaply rather than wasted.
- Failed contracts: A batch was made for a specific retailer or private label, but the deal fell through, leaving wine with nowhere branded to go.
- Blending leftovers: Wine left over after the primary blend has been finalised and bottled.
- Deliberate discount lines: Some producers make wine specifically to sell as cleanskins, using it as a way to offload volume without diluting their main brand’s reputation or pricing.
- Brand protection: A winery may not want a lower-tier or experimental wine associated with its name, so it strips the label to protect its premium image.
Please drink responsibly. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
