Until recently, due to a peculiarity in English law, it was illegal to sell wine in measures smaller than 12.5cl in the UK as the 1988 Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order specifies that wine can only be sold in 12.5cl, 17.5cl and 25cl glasses.

However, after a five-year-long legal battle, a London sommelier has managed to persuade ministers to scrap the laws that barred bars and restaurants from selling wine by the sip. The drawn-out debate was instigated when inspectors stopped Selfridges in London from serving sips of prestigious wines like Chateau Petrus in 2.5cl tasting measures (at £32.00 or €38 a shot) back in 2007.

The amendment effectively means that wine bars, pubs and restaurants can now sell wine in any measure they like below 7.5cl and subsequently Selfridges is back up and running serving its “sip measures’’ with a whole range of wines starting at just £1.00 (€1.20) per tasting.

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