EDM 1517 - Wine glass sizes

08.05.2008
Mulholland, Greg

That this House is alarmed at the move in recent years to serve only larger-sized glasses of wine in pubs, clubs and restaurants and to phase out the 125ml measure of wine in favour of larger 175ml measures and 250ml measures, which in the latter case is the equivalent of a third of a bottle or almost half a pint of wine; is concerned about the impact of this practice on the health of wine drinkers and their perception of how many units of alcohol they are consuming; commends the report by the Royal College of Physicians which called the practice `irresponsible' and said that there was `no doubt at all that many people are drinking significantly more than they realise'; further notes the comments of the Good Pub Guide, saying that this move `isn't generosity, it's just a way of getting more money into their tills, leaving many customers drinking more than they want to'; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals to require all wine selling on-trade establishments to provide the option of a 125ml measure, in addition to the existing larger volumes, to give customers the real choice of having a smaller measure of wine if they so wish as well as larger-sized measures.