The UK government has made plans to re-legalize the pint-size bottle of sparkling wine, a favorite of wartime leader Winston Churchill, following Britain’s exit from the imperial-measurement-hating EU, according to reports.
The Telegraph reported on Thursday that British ministers had set their sights on removing an EU-imposed ban on pint-sized bottles of sparkling wine. The imperial pint of wine was hailed by Winston Churchill as the “ideal size,” claiming it was “enough for two at lunch and one at dinner.”
A government source told The Telegraph on Thursday night that the pint-sized bottle was a victim of the EU’s campaign against imperial measurements, despite the fact they were widely used and understood in the UK prior to joining the EU.
“Now we’ve left the EU, we can rid ourselves of rules like this. Work is underway in government to make this change happen,” the source said.
Prior to the UK joining the European Common Market in 1973, which would later become the EU, it is believed that around 60% of all champagne sold in the country was in imperial pint-sized bottles. Britons were forced to drop the pint of fizz upon accession as Brussels banned the bottle size.
The pint-sized bottle of bubbly is being explored as part of a review into so called ‘hangover’ EU laws being chaired by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the wake of the resignation of Brexit Minister Lord David Frost.
The revelation that the pint-sized bottle may soon be back on UK shelves is good news for some winemakers. English winemaker Rathfinny Estate laid down 800 pint-sized bottles after Britons voted to leave the EU.
It is also argued that the pint-sized bottle may make good commercial sense. The pint contains four glasses of wine, two less than a standard bottle, perhaps making it more appealing for couples fancying a light tipple and the health conscious.
Churchill once claimed his wife thinks a full bottle is too much for him, while the half bottle “insufficient to tease my brains.” The pint “pleases everyone, even the producer,” he concluded.
