Latest From Scotland: Fizzy Wine Under Attack

The Scottish government is incensed that a fizzy wine produced by monks provides "too much alcohol per volume at too cheap a price". Buckfast tonic wine

has many nicknames, most commonly "Buckie". It is also known as "Brown Sauce", "Broon wine", "bottle of fight the world", "bottle of beat the wife", "liquid speed" and "Scranjuice". Lanarkshire alone is believed to account for up to 7 per cent of worldwide sales of Buckfast, which has been produced in Devon from a monastic recipe since the 1880s.

How nefarious is Buckfast? Not very. A bottle of sweet fizz boasts only a 15% alcohol content, and will set you back about 6 quid. That makes it quite comparable to... the cost and alcohol content you'll find in a bottle of any other wine.

Buckfast representative Jim Wilson, who met with Scotland's health minister, pointed out that Buckfast comprises "less than 0.5 per cent of the total alcohol market" in Scotland. Then he launched this zinger:

"I said to [the health minister,] 'go down to your local accident and emergency unit and you will find out that these figures are correct and there are all these other alcoholic drinks around'."

More egregious nanny-state on parade here at the beloved Scotsman. Buckfast site here.