Pint-sized bottles of wine will be permitted on UK shelves from September, but whether producers and retailers will buy into the new serving size is a different question. the Department for Business and Trade announced in December that it would be introducing pint-sized bottles of wine to UK retail shelves. The new bottle size will debut on 19 September, one of seven changes to pre-packaged wine sizes coming into force at that time. Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said that the new measures will provide the UK wine industry with opportunities for “innovation and greater choice”. The Government is positioning the introduction of pint-sized bottles as a Brexit benefit. According to The London Economic, pint bottles of Champagne were available on UK shelves until 1973 prior to Britain joining the European Common Market. When the new bottle size was announced in December Hollinrake said that the reform was made possible by Brexit. “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,” he said. But the SNP’s Patrick Grady has now called on the Government to admit there is “little to no demand or interest for this supposedly glorious Brexit benefit”. He said it should “admit that its Brexit dream of people quaffing pints of wine” was always a “fantasy”. Grady argued that in fact, the new bottle size would be a “Brexit
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
