Britons will quickly be capable to purchase a “pint” of wine, with a brand new 568ml bottle set to seem on grocery store cabinets and in pubs, golf equipment and eating places.
Pint bottles of champagne have been offered within the UK earlier than Britain joined the European Common Market, and remained on cabinets till 1973.
However, their manufacturing ceased as a result of they didn’t adjust to EU weight and measure guidelines.
Now, some 900 UK vineyards – which produce 12.2 million bottles of nonetheless or glowing wine a yr – are set to learn from new post-Brexit “freedoms”, the federal government has stated.
The modifications may also permit new portions of each pre-packed nonetheless and glowing wine – in bottles or cans – to be offered in 200ml and 500ml portions alongside the brand new 568ml “pint” amount.
Currently, nonetheless wine can’t be offered in 200ml portions and glowing wine can’t be offered in 500ml quantities.
The commonplace measurement of a bottle of wine offered in supermarkets, off-licences, pubs and bars is 750ml. Legally, pubs should promote wine in small (125ml), medium (175ml) or massive (250ml) glass sizes.
There can be no authorized obligation for companies to promote the brand new sizes.
WineGB chief govt Nicola Bates stated: “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.”
Kevin Hollinrake, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, stated: “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.”
UK rejects return to imperial system
The modifications have been launched following a authorities session on models of measurement, which was printed in June final yr and acquired greater than 100,000 responses.
The session additionally thought of authorities proposals to take away the requirement to point out metric models alongside imperial or permit them to be proven in much less prominence.
In 2000, the European Union weights and measures directive pressured UK merchants to make use of metric when promoting packaged or free items corresponding to fruit and veg. They may nonetheless use kilos and ounces however should additionally record grams and kilos, apart from just a few gadgets.
The authorities’s session was branded “complete and utter nonsense” by one grocery store boss.
And it appeared the remainder of the UK agreed – the Department for Business and Trade discovered 98.7% of individuals have been in favour of constant to make use of metric models when shopping for or promoting merchandise.
In the metric system, 1,000 grams are equal to 1 kilogram, but underneath the imperial system there are 14 kilos in a stone and 16 ounces in a pound. 1 imperial pound is 453.592g. As for liquids, there are 20 fluid ounces in a pint and 160 fluid ounces in a gallon, as an alternative of metric’s 1,000 millilitres in a litre.
Source: information.sky.com”