Bizarrely, you can sell still and fortified wines in 50cl bottles but not sparkling wine.
Ask yourself this question: how many times have to been at home or out at a restaurant for lunch or dinner and thought, I’d really like a glass or two or sparkling wine, but a whole (75cl) bottle is a bit of a ‘commitment’ for two, especially if you’re going to have a glass or two of still wine with your meal?! Whilst the standard bottle contains roughly six glasses, the 50cl has four, so it’s ideal to share.
As Sarah says, “Sparkling wine has always been my favourite drink, but when you’re a couple at home, a standard sized bottle can be too much to justify opening and there’s the health benefits too of a smaller bottle.”
The fact is that if you open a standard 75cl bottle you might have some left over and sparkling wine rarely holds its fizz unless held under pressure. The half (37.5cl) bottle is very unsatisfactory; it’s normally filled by the transfer method, so it has less pressure and is not bottle fermented. On the other hand, the 50cl bottle can be bottle fermented, so maintains high quality.
We consider the 50cl, to be the ‘ideal size’ for an individual at home or a couple at dinner – as it provides four generous glasses (as opposed to six in a standard 75cl bottle).
As Sarah points out it also has health benefits; rather than encouraging the couple to finish the whole standard bottle, the 50cl bottle holds a third less wine.
Sadly, it’s going to take a few years to get this legislation through parliament, but we’re hoping you will agree that the 50cl is a good sized bottle to have in the fridge and it’s such a cute bottle, how could you resist?
