Whitbread promotes wine by the glass…

Caterer's campaign to encourage pubs to serve quality wine by the glass in good condition is having results.

As reported in these columns two years ago, Whitbread was among a number of brewers experimenting with the use of the Verre de Vin preservation system. The brewer had begun to offer up to 14 white and red wines by the glass at some of its managed pubs in London.

Now it has announced that the Verre de Vin system, with a standard list of seven whites and five reds, has been introduced in more than 300 Whitbread Inns across the country.

Wines are offered in 125ml and 175ml glasses. Prices range from £1.25 for a 125ml glass of Bulgarian Khan Krum Chardonnay to £1.65 for a 125ml glass of Conde de Valdemar, Rioja Crianza.

The Verre de Vin method operates by extracting the air from between the surface of the wine and the bottle rim via a pump and a valve/stopper. Electronic controls and sensing devices protect the surface of the wine by stopping the pump action at precisely the right moment.

The valve/stoppers may be used on any number of bottles, so one extractor pump device is all that is needed for a bar. The system keeps still wine fresh for up to 14 days, it is claimed. Sparkling wine may also be preserved, but not for quite as long.

The system has also been adopted by London-based brewer Young's.