BOTTLES of bubbly will be up to 50p cheaper when ministers tear up bonkers Brussels red tape.
A petty EU rule on labelling and covering corks in foil is one of 4,000 set to be scrapped thanks to Brexit.
The move is expected to save between 10p and 50p in production costs for every bottle of sparkling wine produced.
Article 57(1)(a) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 decrees that all sparkling wine bottles must be “sheathed in foil completely covering the stopper and all or part of the neck”.
In 2020, the European Parliament even acknowledged: “The foil does not have any other functional characteristics and is usually removed and thrown away immediately prior to consumption of the wine.”
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Rules on what wine labels must include will also be ditched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Under the Retained EU Law Bill, reams of European Union red tape will be “sunsetted” by the end of this year unless ministers choose to keep them in British law.
Then-Brexit minister Jacob Rees-Mogg launched plans for a bonfire of bureaucracy, urging Sun readers to flag up silly laws.
At Cabinet on Tuesday, PM Rishi Sunak told ministers a leaner “regulatory environment in the UK will be crucial to accelerating our economic recovery and driving growth, innovation, and competitiveness”.
Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: “We welcome the removal of outdated and unnecessary regulation when it comes to the production, bottling and labelling of wine.
"By removing the obligation that the neck of a bottle of sparkling wine has to be wrapped in foil, wine producers can choose to reduce costs and reduce their packaging waste – which is good for consumers and the environment.”
