Wednesday, 10 January, 2024
The Drinks Business, Louis Thomas
The announcement, made on 27 December 2023, means that from the beginning of this year, still and sparkling wine can be sold in the UK in 200ml, 500ml, and 568ml (the metric measure of an imperial pint) bottles. For traditional method sparkling producers in the UK this also means that secondary fermentation can take place within these smaller bottles.
Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said that the reform was made possible by Brexit: “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.”
New WineGB CEO Nicola Bates also toasted the announcement: “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 that allows UK producers for domestic sales.”
1 January 2024 also marked the point from which the UK’s sparkling wine producers no longer had to use foils or mushroom-shaped corks on their bottles, a change that Environment Secretary Steve Barclay claimed would help “wine producers and traders become more profitable, dynamic, and sustainable”.
To read the full article, click HERE.