Former England manager Sam Allardyce labelled a ‘pioneer’ with pints of wine to hit ‘UK shelves for first time’

SAM ALLARDYCE was hailed a “pioneer” as pints of wine got the green light to go on sale in the UK for the first time in 50 years.

As exclusively revealed by The Sun, the new legislation is set to come in next year.

Sam Allardyce received plenty of praise after pints of wine were legalised in the UKPA

It will see still and sparkling wine available to buy at supermarkets, pubs, clubs and restaurants in 568ml bottles.

And that immediately prompted plenty of football fans to heap praise on Allardyce and credit him for the change.

‘Big Sam’ was famously spotted drinking a pint of wine in the undercover footage as part of the sting operation that saw the then-England boss get sacked.

One supporter said: “Sam Allardyce is a pioneer.”

Another wrote: “Sam Allardyce walked so we could run / fall over.”

A third added: “Sam Allardyce finally getting his way.”

A fourth commented: “If his name was Sam Allardici we’d have started selling pints of wine 15 years ago.”

A fifth quipped: “I’m not quite sure who wanted this in 2016 (apart from Big Sam obviously!) but there you go.”

A sixth joked: “Big Sam just knee-slid through his kitchen.”

And a final user replied: “Big day for Big Sam.”

Allardyce, 69, had a record-breaking 30-day stint as Leeds boss last season but could not keep them in the Premier League and now remains without a club.

Champagne in the imperial 568ml bottles was a favourite of Winston Churchill, who claimed it was “enough for two at lunch and one at dinner”.

However, the champagne volume was outlawed in 1973 when Britain joined the European Common Market – while still wine has never before been sold in the pint size in the UK.

Now the Department for Business and Trade have confirmed the U-turn following Brexit – with the change providing extra choice for customers.

Still wine will also become available in 200ml containers while sparkling wine can go in 500ml bottles – both new additions.

And it means there will be just a 68ml difference between two of the sizes while regular full 750ml and half 375ml bottles continue.

That is despite a consultation with 100,000 responses from 2022 showing 98.7 per cent favoured using metric units when buying or selling products, either as the primary unit of sale (as currently) or as the sole unit of sale (purely metric).

The government said: “The move to introduce the 568ml size would sit alongside the 200ml and 500ml measures already available, offering more flexibility and choice for customers.

“The UK’s wine sector is set for the boost as part of the Government’s smarter regulation programme to ensure regulations are up to date and agile.”

UK wine businesses produce around 12.2 million bottles of still and sparkling wine per year.

AlamyThe new measurements will see still and sparkling wine sold in 568ml bottles[/caption]