Morrisons is to start selling wine in smaller 50cl bottles for the first time in a bid to help promote responsible drinking at home.
The supermarket chain is introducing the bottles across nine different varieties, including its bestselling Merlot and three with only 5.5 per cent alcohol .
It says the 50cl size reduces the unnecessary consumption associated with the traditional 75cl bottle, and claims the bottles will be “particularly suitable for couples aiming to keep below the government’s recommended limit of 14 units a week for women and 21 units a week for men”.
Arabella Woodrow, Morrisons’ wine expert, says she expects “the trend of 50cl bottles to grow in popularity over the next year or so”.
“We are conscious that our customers take responsible drinking seriously and we therefore want to be flexible by introducing smaller bottle sizes and more lines with screw cap closures for ease of re-sealing.”
Professor Ian Gilmore, Chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK and former president of the Royal College of Physicians, welcomed the move, saying: “People grossly underestimate what they drink at home, particularly during holidays .”
“On holiday, most people drink more in two weeks than they usually do in three months and this seems a good way to start tackling that consumption.”
