Wetherspoon ditches French Champagne and German beer in run-up to Brexit

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin – who is a vocal supporter of Brexit - says all products will be subject to review over the next 24 months. 

The range of drinks on offer at Wetherspoon’s 880 pubs will change on Monday, July 9.

Products from the US, UK and Australia​

Wetherspoon will replace Champagne with sparkling wines from the UK - Denbies Sparkling Whitedowns Brut and Whitedowns Rose Brut - as well as Australia’s Hardys Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay.

In beer, it will serve wheat beers from the UK and US: Blue Moon Belgian White, Thornbridge Versa Weisse Beer and SA Brains Atlantic White.

It will continue to serve Swedish Kopparberg cider as Kopparberg will be produced in the UK post-Brexit.

Germany’s Erdinger alcohol free beer will be replaced with alcohol free Adnams Ghost Ship (UK).

However, the pub chain says it will honour existing contracts with EU suppliers, some of which have several years to run.

Martin says that in order to maximise opportunities from Brexit the UK should follow free-trading nations like Australia and Singapore by ending tariffs.

He also envisions an 'inevitable transfer of trade post-Brexit' to non-EU countries, which he says will reduce prices in shops and pubs.  

The official Brexit date is March 29, 2019.