JD Wetherspoon are embracing Brexit by replacing French champagne and German beer with cheaper British products.
Tim Martin, famous Brexit supporter and chairman of the pub chain, has announced his company’s plans to sell more drinks from British and non-EU manufacturers.
One of these UK manufacturers is from Dorking .
Denbies Sparkling Whitedowns Brut and Whitedowns Rose Brut from the Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey will be sold instead of the Moët champagne.
More UK wheat beers will be sold, replacing beers from German breweries Erdinger and Tucher.
The switch will affect all 880 Wetherspoon pubs from July 9.
Tim Martin, a strong supporter of the leave campaign, said: “This move helps us to broaden our horizons so that we create an improved offer for the two million customers who visit our pubs each week.
“It is the start of a review all products in the next six to 24 months, with the object of making our business more competitive.
“The EU’s customs union is a protectionist system which is widely misunderstood.
“It imposes tariffs on the 93 per cent of the world that is not in the EU, keeping prices high for UK consumers.
“Tariffs are imposed on wine from Australia, New Zealand and the US, and also on coffee, oranges, rice and more than 12,000 other products.
“There will be an inevitable transfer of trade post-Brexit to countries outside the EU, which will reduce prices in shops and pubs.
“The products we are now introducing are at lower prices than the EU products they are replacing.
“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.”
Which brands are being replaced?
Moët champagne will be replaced with sparkling wines from the UK including Denbies Sparkling Whitedowns Brut and Whitedowns Rose Brut from the Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey, as well as Hardys Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay from Australia.
The pubs will also serve wheat beers made in the UK – Blue Moon Belgian White (owned by US-based MillerCoors), Thornbridge Versa Weisse Beer (from Derbyshire) and Cardiff-based SA Brains’ Atlantic White.
Wheat beers from German breweries Erdinger and Tucher are being dropped.
Wetherspoons will continue to serve Kopparberg cider from Sweden.
Kopparberg has confirmed that it will be producing its cider in the UK post-Brexit.
Alcohol-free Adnams Ghost Ship, produced by Suffolk-based Adnams Brewery, will replace Erdinger alcohol-free beer from Germany.
Wetherspoons in Surrey
The Assembly Rooms – 147-153 High Street, Epsom, KT19 8EH
The Claude du Vall – 77-81 High Street, Camberley, GU15 3RB
The Edmund Tylney – 30-34 High Street, Leatherhead, KT22 8AW
The George – 2-8 High Street, Staines, TW18 4EE
The Herbert Wells – 51-57 Chertsey Road, Woking, GU21 5AJ
The Jack Fairman – 30 Victoria Road, Horley, RH6 7PZ
The Jack Phillips – 48-56 High Street, Godalming, GU7 1DY
The Oxted Inn – Units 1-4, Hoskins Walk, Oxted, RH8 9HR
The Rodboro Buildings – 1-10 Bridge Street, Guildford, GU1 4RY
The Sun – 17-21 London Road, Redhill, RH1 1LY
Another outlet will soon be opening at St Martin’s Walk in Dorking