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‘Pints’ of wine are to be stocked in British supermarkets for the first time

We'll drink to that.

Clementine Hall - 27th December 2023

Wine lovers will soon be able to pop to their local supermarket and grab pint-sized bottles of still and sparkling wine.

Next time you’re strolling down the wine aisle trying to pick your perfect bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, then you may spot a brand new ‘pint’ size bottle of the good stuff on offer.

The move to introduce the 568ml size will sit alongside 200ml and 500ml measures already available, and offer more flexibility and choices for customers, announced the Department for Business and Trade – but it’s not the first time this has happened.

Pint bottles of champagne were sold until 1973 in the UK before Britain joined the European Common Market, however, their production ceased as they did not comply with EU weight restriction rules.

We’ve removed burdensome bottle size restrictions for 900 British wine makers 🍾

And consumers will benefit from improved choice 🙌

Read more 👉 https://t.co/NVECJWdaht pic.twitter.com/3xDEWdh1am
— Department for Business and Trade (@biztradegovuk) December 27, 2023

A whopping 900 vineyards, which currently produce around 12.2 million bottles of 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 still and sparkling wine to be sold in 200ml and 500ml quantities alongside the new 568ml ‘pint’ measurement.

Currently, still wine cannot be sold in 200ml quantities and sparkling wine cannot be sold in 500ml amounts.

The changes will bring more alignment and consistency between the two drinks, The Hoot reports.

‘Pints’ of wine are to be stocked in British supermarkets for the first time / Credit: Kelsey Knight (via Unsplash)

Kevin Hollinrake, who is the 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.”

Currently, there is no legal obligation for businesses to sell in the new sizes.

Featured Image – Hermes Rivera (via Unsplash)