Nearly a third of venues still offer 125ml measure

Less than a quarter of licensed premises offer a 250ml wine measure, while nearly a third still provide a 125ml glass, according to latest figures....

Less than a quarter of licensed premises offer a 250ml wine measure, while nearly a third still provide a 125ml glass, according to latest figures.

The figures from research analysts CGA fly in the face of suggestions in the recent press reports that venues have scrapped the smaller 125ml measure in favour of the larger size.

Of the 103,000 on-trade premises that sell wine, 62 per cent offer the 175ml measure, research from the CGA Brand Index showed. Twenty-four cent offer a 250ml measure - a rise of half a per cent year-on-year.

Thirty per cent of venues still offer a 125ml glass, according to the figures.

Professor Ian Gilmore had accused the industry of being "irresponsible" by offering larger measures as the standard glass.

But Mark Newton, CGA's wine category manager, said: "To suggest there is some huge conspiracy on wine is not right.

"This evidence does not back up the contention from the health lobby that venues are deliberately 'super-sizing' their wine offers without offering their customers the choice to opt for alternative (smaller) measures. This trend is evident across all market segments."

CGA said although there has been a 3.5 per cent move away from the 125ml glass size in the last 12 months, the biggest beneficiary has been the offer of full 750ml bottles - often bought to share by several people as a better value alternative to individual glasses.

Only branded venues show a predominance for the 250ml glass, the figures showed, and in the sports and social club sector the 125ml glass still dominates, with 54.5% of the market.