Neglect Beer. Pint-Sized Wine Bottles Are Coming to the U.Okay. in 2024.
Brits will be able to enjoy a pint of vino or bubbly again starting next year.
Pint-sized bottles of still and sparkling wine will be available in supermarkets, pubs, clubs, and restaurants across the U.K. in 2024, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) announced on Wednesday.
The new legislation will also allow still wine to be sold in 200 ml containers and sparkling wines in 500 ml bottles, as reported by the BBC. The new measures will provide a boost to British wineries and give customers more choice, according to the DBT. It said the change was made possible by Brexit.
The 568 ml bottle was common in the U.K. before Britain joined the European Economic Community (the precursor to the EU) in 1973. (In fact, wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill reportedly favored pints of Champagne because the bottle gave “enough for two at lunch and one at dinner,” according to The Guardian.) Pint bottles were subsequently nixed as they did not comply with EU weight and measure rules.
Following Brexit, the government under Boris Johnson looked at changing laws inherited from the EU to give shop traders the freedom to use imperial measures such as pounds and ounces alongside metric. The DBT said that following an extensive consultation, the government has decided not to introduce any new legislation regarding selling in imperial measures. It added that the new guidance was created to promote awareness and use of the imperial system, though.
“Our exit from the EU was all about moments just like this, where we can seize new opportunities and provide a real boost to our great British wineries and further grow the economy,” Kevin Hollinrake, minister for enterprise, markets, and small business, said in a statement.
The standard size of a bottle of wine sold in the U.K. is 750 ml. Currently, still wine cannot be sold in 200 ml quantities and sparkling wine cannot be sold in 500 ml measures. As such, the new legislation could bolster the canned wine market and bring about other new products. (If vineyards and manufacturers are willing to embrace the shift, that is.) There will be no legal obligation for businesses to sell the new sizes.
“We welcome the chance to be able to harmonize still and sparkling bottle sizes and we are happy to raise a glass to the greater choice,” adds WineGB chief executive Nicola Bates.
If a pint of wine is good enough for Churchill . . .
Authors
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Rachel Cormack
Source: Robb Report
