Selfridges’ Sip campaign helps legalise smaller wine measures

The Selfridges Wonder Bar in London W1 is today celebrating the success of its Sip campaign, which has persuaded the government to change its tune over serving small measures for wine.

Dawn Davies, the Wonder Bar’s co-creator and head sommelier, has spent the last two years lobbying the government to change what she, and many others in the industry, see as an archaic rule, preventing her from serving anything less than 125ml glasses of wine.

In a bid to offer customers something new and exciting, which Caterer was the first to highlight after its opening in early summer 2007, the Wonder Bar unwittingly fell foul of the law when its new Enomatic Wine System, accessed by a Wonder Bar card, delivered 25ml pours, in addition to larger pours, for every one of its 52 wines, allowing drinkers access to some of the world’s rarest wines at a more manageable price.

Currently wine may be served only in 125ml, 175ml, or multiples thereof, and anything below that is not legal, which means that serving a sip of wine, as Davies set out to do, is technically breaking the law. Cue a visit from Trading Standards, who ordered Davies to re-set the machine to 125ml and 175ml pours.

The new legislation implementing the changes to the law governing specified quantities is expected to come into force in April 2010. “It means we can go back to giving customers what they want. We want people to taste and explore wine – that’s what it’s all about,” says Davies.

Selfridges forced to scrap Wonder Bar centrepiece >>

Pressure grows for change in law on wine measures >>

Government gives go-ahead to three-quarter pints >>

By Fiona Sims

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