Wetherspoon replaces champagne with British sparkling wine in run-up to Brexit

The pub chain JD Wetherspoon has announced plans to replace champagne with UK sparkling wines for next month.

Wetherspoon, with its two million customers per week, will use sparkling wines such as Hardys Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay from Australia and Denbies vineyard for the replacement.

The pub chain will also replace its current Erdinger alcohol-free beers brewed in Germany with British wheat beer, which will include Blue Moon Belgian White, Thornbridge Versa Weisse Beer and SA Brains Atlantic White, in addition to alcohol-free beer from Adnams Ghost Ship.

Tim Martin, the company’s founder who also campaigned for Brexit, said the new drinks represent a transition away from products made in the European Union. He also revealed these will be cheaper than the EU products currently offered.

He said: “There will be an inevitable transfer of trade post-Brexit to countries outside the EU, which will reduce prices in shops and pubs.

“We intend to honour existing contracts with EU suppliers, some of which have several years to run. However, we are starting to make the transition to non-EU trade now.”