Pints of wine set to go on sale as early as September
In the undercover sting footage that forced him to resign as England football manager, Sam Allardyce was seen drinking what looked suspiciously like a pint of white wine.
Allardyce’s measure of choice shocked many, but he was following a great English tradition: after all, Sir Winston Churchill was known to have described a pint of champagne as the ideal size.
Now, more than 50 years after EU weights and measurement rules forced them off the shelves, pints of wine are on the way back.
A business minister has said pintsized bottles are still expected to be on sale in the UK from September, amid doubts over demand.
Kevin Hollinrake said seven changes to pre-packaged wine sizes, first announced last year, will support the “thriving” UK wine sector by providing opportunities for “innovation and greater choice”.
But the SNP’s Patrick Grady said the Government should admit there is “little to no demand or interest for this supposedly glorious Brexit benefit”.
The Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said: “I can’t imagine why anyone would be complaining about the sale of pints of wine. If he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to buy it.”
In December, the Government said the 568ml size would sit alongside 200ml and 500ml measures already available. Pint bottles of champagne were sold in the UK until 1973 before Britain joined the European Common Market.