Britons will soon be able to buy “pint” sized bottles of still and sparkling wine in the form of a new 568ml amount to appear on supermarket shelves and in pubs, clubs and restaurants, the Government has announced.
The move to introduce the 568ml size will sit alongside 200ml and 500ml measures already available, offering more flexibility and choice for customers, the Department for Business and Trade said.
Pint bottles of Champagne were sold in the UK before Britain joined the European Common Market and were on shelves until 1973.
However, their production ceased as they did not comply with EU weights and measures rules.
Some 900 vineyards, which currently produce around 12.2 million bottles of still or sparkling wine a year, are set to benefit from the new post-Brexit “freedoms”, the department said.
The changes will also allow new quantities of both pre-packed still and sparkling wine – in bottles or cans – to be sold in 200ml and 500ml quantities alongside the new 568ml “pint” quantity, to bring more alignment between the two drinks.
Currently, still wine cannot be sold in 200ml quantities and sparkling wine cannot be sold in 500ml amounts.
There is no legal obligation for businesses to sell in the new sizes.
The Government also used the announcement to confirm that after “careful consideration” it had decided not to introduce any new legislation following its consultation on choice around units of measurement, which was published in June last year and received more than 100,000 responses.
The consultation considered Government proposals to remove the requirement to show metric units alongside imperial units in trade, or allow metric units to be shown with less prominence than imperial units.
The department said analysis showed 98.7% of respondents were in favour of using metric units when buying or selling products, either as the primary unit of sale as currently or as the sole unit of sale.
Kevin Hollinrake, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, said: “Innovation, freedom and choice – that’s what today’s announcement gives to producers and consumers alike.
“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 growing the economy.”
WineGB chief executive Nicola Bates said: “We welcome the chance to be able to harmonise still and sparkling bottle sizes and we are happy to raise a glass to the greater choice.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel