UK Considers Bringing Back This Retro Way of Serving Wine — And Winston Churchill Would Have Approved
The U.K. Parliament is bringing back wine by the pint. (Photo by: Uwe Anspach/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intends to legalize selling wine by the pint in 2024.
These 568 ml (pint) sized bottles will once again be legal to sell in the United Kingdom and according to The Guardian, Brexit made the change possible.
Pints of wine were phased out in the 1970s before the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community — the precursor to the European Union (E.U.)
The imperial measure was considered a favorite of Winston Churchill, and the politician particularly enjoyed champagne by the pint. Churchill would typically have “… two for lunch and one at dinner,” according to Hubert de Billy. De Billy is the latest descendant of Pol Roger, the maker of Churchill’s favorite champagne.
“… 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,” said Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollindrake according to The Guardian.
Yet it appears winemakers may not be so fond of the idea.
“No one is going to make a pint-sized bottle,” one anonymous English winemaker said according to the outlet.
The winemaker wished to remain anonymous because they alleged the debate about pints in the wine world was “toxic.”
“In order to make a pint-sized bottle you’re going to have to invest a huge amount of money. It’s a silly measure.”
At large, it appears the wine, spirits and hospitality industries have had a tough go of it over in the United Kingdom this year. A record number of bars closed in London, and venues experienced a rise in bills by about 81% on average in May 2023.
In November, Diageo called out other beer companies dialing back the ABVs of their beers due to inflation.
Meanwhile, the Scotch Whisky Association begged the U.K. Treasury Chancellor to not implement a 10.1% duty increase on scotch whisky that was set to move forward in August.
Fortunately, distillers breathed a sigh of relief in November when the government chose to freeze the duty.
Whether winemakers will begin producing wine by the pint remains to be seen, and the new measure received more than its fair share of criticism from one of the members of parliament, Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney:
“Is this really the best this Conservative government can offer?” Olney quipped. “Instead of fixing the crisis in our NHS, cleaning up our rivers and tackling crime, this Conservative government has been spending its time developing plans to introduce a new bottle of wine size. You couldn’t make this up. Sunak and his government should be flat out fixing the very real crises our country faces, not debating wine.”
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