Insurance for wine bars
Customisable insurance for wine bars. Pop the cork and decant, only ever paying for the cover you actually need.
Be quote confident. We'll beat the price of any like-for-like quote. T&Cs apply.
Standard covers for wine bars
Build a customised policy that protects your business from a range of risks, so you can focus on the finest bottles.
You'll start with public liability cover, and a £2,500 minimum worth of contents and stock cover. The rest is up to you.
Standard covers and limits include:
- Public liability – £1m, £2m or £5m
- Contents – £1.5m
- Stock – £1.5m
- Employers' liability – £10m
- Loss of licence – £100,000
- Business interruption – £1.5m
What insurance do I need for wine bars?
Start with public liability, contents and stock insurance (and get just that), or customise your policy to cover additional risks. Always check your quote and policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your cover.
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance is a common cover for businesses that involve contact with members of the public.
Things don’t always go to plan. A spilled drink or loose carpet can quickly turn into an accident.
Public liability insurance is designed to cover claims made against you by members of the public for property damage or accidental injury, illness or disease linked to your work.
Stock cover
For wine bars, stock keeps everything ticking. That’s why we offer two types of stock cover to help you stay on track.
Deterioration of stock covers loss or spoilage of refrigerated items if your fridge or freezer breaks down.
General stock cover gives you extra protection for everything from dry goods and fresh produce to bottled drinks and packaged items — from wine bottles to snacks. When you start your quote, you'll be asked to choose the amount of cover based on the value of your stock. This cover includes key risks like fire, flood and theft, and your premium is based on the limit you select.
Contents cover
Business contents insurance is designed to cover items like furniture, TVs, freezers or cookers at your premises — whether you own or lease them — against accidental or malicious damage.
It can can cover tables, chairs, stools and the rest of the items in, on or around your premises that you own or are responsible for, including glassware, silverware and even wine taps.
Employers' liability insurance
Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement for most employers in the UK. If you have staff — whether part-time, full-time, permanent, temporary or apprentices — you may have a legal obligation to have this insurance and have an employers' liability insurance certificate to prove it.
Not having it can result in a fine of up to £2,500 per day for each uninsured day.
From burns caused by hot oil to injuries from slips or falls, employers' liability insurance is designed to cover claims made by employees who are injured or become ill because of their work. A £10 million limit is included as standard, along with cover for temporary employees for up to 50 days each year.
Buildings insurance and tenants' improvements
If you own your wine bar premises, buildings insurance is designed to cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding the structure, as well as fixtures like fences and gates, if they’re damaged by events such as fire, flood, theft or escape of water.
If you lease your space, tenants' improvements cover is designed for the changes you’ve made — whether structural or cosmetic. It can cover the cost of repairing or reinstating those improvements if they’re damaged by insured events.
You can also add rent payable cover if you’re unable to trade because of the damage.
Equipment insurance
From point-of-sale devices and laptops to phones and specialist kit, business equipment insurance covers the tools you rely on day to day.
It’s designed to cover portable electronic equipment against loss, theft or damage, so you can get back to business quickly if something goes wrong.
Loss of licence
Alcohol sales are central to many wine bars. Loss of licence cover is designed to support you if your licence is suspended, withdrawn or forfeited.
It can help with financial losses, as well as certain costs linked to appealing or reinstating your licence.
Business interruption
If your premises are damaged and you can’t trade, business interruption insurance is designed to cover lost income for up to 18 months.
It can also help with extra costs you might face to keep things running or get back on your feet.
This cover is available when you also have buildings, contents or stock cover in place.
Additional covers
We also offer a collection of other covers to boost your policy and give you the perfect protection.
Terrorism
Terrorism cover is designed to cover repair costs for damage to your property, along with financial losses, following an act of terrorism where standard cover may not apply.
Money
Handling cash can come with added risk — whether it’s kept on your premises during trading hours or taken to the bank. Money and personal accident cover is designed to cover losses linked to theft or injury in these situations.
One-off events
If you host live music or hire out your space for events — from parties to weddings — you can choose to include cover for these one-off occasions.
Deep fat fyers
If you have a deep fat fryer on site, we can offer cover for units with a capacity of up to 20 litres.
Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover. Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.
Be quote confident
We're big on fairness. So if you find a lower price for a comparable quote, we won't just match it – we'll go one better and beat it.
So even better than apples to apples, apples to better apples. We're talking Galas to Braeburns.
As you'd expect, T&Cs apply.
Wine bar insurance claims examples
There are various types of insurance claim that a wine bar may have to make, so, depending on the policies you've selected, here are a few examples of specific claims that could be covered by Superscript’s customisable policy:
Stolen stock
A thief breaks into your stock room and takes items, including pricey bottles of wine, along with some of your employees' personal belongings. Stock cover can pay to replace items stolen during a robbery.
Manual handling
One of your staff injures their shoulder while moving a case of wine. If a claim is made against you, employers' liability insurance is designed to cover this.
Flooding
A burst water main causes your wine bar to flood, damaging your furniture and other contents. Contents cover could pay to replace the damaged furniture.
Slippery floors
A customer slips on a wet floor and hurts themselves, even though you put a sign out. Without public liability insurance, you could end up paying legal and compensation costs.
How do insurance claims work for wine bar businesses?
The below is a good guide to the process and timescales you can expect when you need to make a claim under your policy.
If you’re ever unsure whether you can or should claim, it’s best to get in touch and we can let you know.
Notify us of the claim
Contact us by email at claims@gosuperscript.com, by 24/7 freephone on 0800 772 3059 or by logging in to your customer portal.
Ideally this should be done as soon as possible and within 30 days of you becoming aware of anything (and we mean anything, even if it may seem trivial to you) which you think may be covered by your insurance.
A good indicator of whether or not to let us know is if there’s an issue which may require a payment to be made on your behalf.
We'll get on the case
We’ll acknowledge your claim within 24 hours, and sometimes in as little as 30 minutes! This means you’ll receive email confirmation of your Superscript claims reference and contact information should you need to speak to us.
We will then reach out to you within 48 hours to request any extra information we need to progress your claim.
We’ll keep you updated on the next steps as the claim progresses.
A decision is made
We’ll let you know if your claim is successful or not. At Superscript, if your claim isn’t covered, we will always try to point you in the right direction and support you as best we can in getting back to normal.
Read about the most common reasons claims aren't paid.
If your claim is successful, once we have all the documents we need, we will aim to settle claims such as accidental damage, theft and lost equipment within 5 working days.
Wine bar insurance FAQs
How much does wine bar insurance cost?
The cost of your cover depends on the types of cover you choose and the level of protection you need.
Public liability cover is relevant for many wine bars, though it isn’t a legal requirement. If you employ staff, you may be legally required to have employers' liability cover.
Depending on your setup, you might also want to consider:
- Portable business equipment cover
- Loss of licence cover
- Business interruption insurance
What insurance do wine bars need?
Most business insurance is optional. One key exception is employers' liability cover, which is a legal requirement for most UK businesses with employees.
If you regularly interact with customers, Public liability cover is often worth considering, as it’s designed to cover claims made by members of the public.
How much cover do I need?
It depends on your business and the risks you face.
A good starting point is to think about the potential cost of a claim — whether that’s compensation, repairs, replacements or rebuilding work.
These costs can add up quickly, so choosing cover that reflects your business size and setup can help you manage those risks.
What does public liability insurance cover for wine bars?
Public liability insurance is designed to cover claims made against you by members of the public for property damage or accidental injury, illness or disease linked to your work.
For example, if a customer slips on a loose carpet or their belongings are damaged during service, this cover can help with the costs of a claim.
What does loss of licence insurance cover?
Loss of licence cover is designed for businesses that sell alcohol.
If your licence is suspended, withdrawn or forfeited, it can help with financial losses, as well as certain costs linked to appealing or reinstating your licence.
Can I get cover for one-off events?
Yes — you can choose cover for one-off events hosted at, or promoted by, your business, such as live music, private parties or weddings.
What excess would I need to pay?
Your excess will depend on the type of claim and the details in your policy.
For example, a property damage claim under public liability insurance might have an excess, while injury claims typically don’t.
Always check your policy documents for full details, including excesses, limits and exclusions.
Anything else I should know about this cover?
Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover.
Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.
There are some limitations to this cover and, sadly, we won't be able to offer you insurance, if you:
- Have deep fat fryers over 20 litres
- Serve food for over 150 covers
- Have more than 49 employees
- Have a turnover of over £5m
Individual cover purchased online is offered on a standardised, non-advised basis and is not bespoke. Terms, conditions and coverage limits are predetermined by the Underwriter. If you require bespoke coverage offered on an advised basis, please contact our in-house broking team.
Authorised by the FCA
The FCA supervises UK financial services firms to protect consumers. We are directly authorised and regulated by the FCA and our Firm Reference Number is 656459. These details can be confirmed on the Financial Services Register at www.fca.org.uk or by calling the FCA on 0845 606 1234.
A-rated financial strength
Our insurance products are underwritten by Standard & Poor’s A-rated financial strength or higher. This means the underwriter has been independently assessed by the world’s leading credit rating provider and found to have a strong capacity to meet financial commitments (pay claims).
Protected by the FSCS
If you are a business with an annual turnover under £1m, charity with an annual income under £1m, or trust with net assets under £1m, then you will be entitled to compensation from the FSCS in the unlikely event we cannot meet our obligations. Full details and further information on the scheme are available at www.fscs.org.uk.