The Wine Act was a bill enacted by the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

in 1703. At a time when England and France were locked in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, the Act allowed Scots to legally import

French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and America ...

s. It caused anger in England, because it allowed Scottish traders to openly support that nation's greatest enemy (at the time). The Act itself was part of a raft of legislation, all in direct opposition to English commercial and political interest, that was forced through by a majority opposition in the Scottish Parliament in 1703. Other legislation included the Act Anent Peace and War, and the

Act of Security The Act of Security 1704 (also referred to as the Act for the Security of the Kingdom) was a response by the Parliament of Scotland to the Parliament of England's Act of Settlement 1701. Queen Anne's last surviving child, William, Duke of Glou ...

(which was given

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

the following year).

References

* Dand, C.H., ''The Mighty Affair'', Edinburgh (1972), pp. 59–61 Acts of the Parliament of Scotland 1703 in law 1703 in Scotland Alcohol in Scotland England–Scotland relations Trade in Scotland Economic history of Scotland {{trade-stub