Thanks to Brexit - A pint of wine, please! London allows new bottle sizes
In British pubs, beer glasses usually hold a pint - that's 0.568 liters. In future, people in the UK will once again be able to buy wine and sparkling wine in pint bottles. As the Department of Trade and Industry in London announced on Wednesday, 0.568 liter bottles will be permitted in addition to 0.2 and 0.5 liter bottles. This applies to pubs and restaurants as well as supermarkets. This gives buyers more flexibility and choice. The ministry emphasized that the reason for the change was the"Brexit freedoms". By leaving the EU, the industry is no longer bound by EU regulations.
Pint-sized bottles of sparkling wine were sold in the UK until it joined the EU in 1973. After that, production was discontinued as they did not comply with EU weight and size regulations, as reported by the British news agency PA. Now the 900 or so British wineries have been given more freedom, the ministry emphasized. In addition, 0.2-liter bottles of wine and 0.5-liter bottles of sparkling wine may now be sold - which was previously not permitted. However, there is no obligation to use these sizes. Beer, cider and milk are already available in pint bottles and containers.
Secretary of State for Business Kevin Hollinrake said that the announcement would allow producers and consumers more innovation, freedom and choice. "Our exit from the EU has been all about moments like this when we can seize new opportunities and give a real boost to our great British wineries and further economic growth," Hollinrake said. The industry association Wine GB welcomed the move.
Critics of the Conservative government
Critics, however, accuse the Conservative government of wanting to satisfy traditional voters in particular with this populist measure in the year of a probable general election and distract from much more serious problems such as the high cost of living. The Tories are always talking about alleged Brexit freedoms, but there are hardly any real positive changes. Market experts also emphasized that it is unlikely that French, Italian or German winemakers will introduce different bottle sizes specifically for the British market.
Wine production in the UK is still negligible compared to countries such as Germany, but has grown strongly in recent years. In 2022, around 12.2 million bottles of wine and sparkling wine were produced, an increase of 130% compared to 2017. The vast majority of wineries are located in England.
The industry hopes that Brexit will enable faster growth. In May, the government lifted restrictions that prevented the production of new blends. Bottlers are now also allowed to convert imported wine into sparkling wine. Regulations on packaging - such as sealing films for certain sparkling wines - have also been ended to allow for cheaper alternatives.
However, the government has rowed back on another point that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had advertised as Brexit freedom. After "careful consideration", it will not introduce legislation to change the units of measurement, it announced. According to the plans, retailers should be able to display the weight of their products in imperial units such as pounds and ounces instead of metric terms such as kilograms.
Brexit supporters had hailed the plan as the "end of metric martyrdom". However, according to the Department of Trade and Industry, surveys showed that 98.7 percent wanted to continue using the metric system.
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Source: www.stern.de
