Review of Brexit Allows Sale of Miniature Wine Bottles

The UK government has announced that pint-sized bottles of still and sparkling wine will be available for purchase in the country. The new size of 568ml is meant to offer more choices for customers, and it has been decided that no new regulations on selling in imperial measures will be introduced. A legislation is expected to be introduced in the new year, allowing the sale of these pint-sized bottles in supermarkets, pubs, clubs, and restaurants. Previously, laws inherited from the EU only allowed traders to use the traditional British weighing system alongside the metric system. The new legislation will also permit the sale of still wine in 200ml containers, potentially leading to an expansion in the canned wine market, while sparkling wines will be sold in 500ml bottles. Currently, still wine cannot be sold in 200ml quantities and sparkling wine cannot be sold in 500ml amounts. However, it remains to be seen whether there will be demand for pint-sized wine bottles among producers and bottlers. Pint-sized bottles for champagne were preferred by former British wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill and were available until 1973 when the UK joined the European Common Market. The government has confirmed that it has no plans to change the rules on selling in imperial measures after Brexit. Initially, the rules were copied over from the EU, but Boris Johnson's government later announced a review of these regulations to make the most of Brexit. However, the government has now decided not to change the rules, as 98.7% of respondents to a consultation expressed a preference for using the metric system as the primary measurement unit for sales.