Corks pop at wine sales

Britain's wine drinkers are becoming more discerning, a new report has revealed. Far from scrimping with the cheapest bottle of Bulgarian available, the biggest increase in demand among British shoppers has been for wine costing between £7.50 and £9.99 a bottle.

Tastes are also becoming more adventurous and more exclusive, with the sale of bottles costing more than £15 increasing by a staggering 45 per cent since 1997.

The survey, by the wine exhibition organiser Vinexpo, found that although most bottles of wine bought in British shops cost between £3 and £4.99, there has been a 63 per cent increase in demand for those costing between £7.50 and £9.99.

Chris Losh, the editor of Wine Magazine, said consumers' attitudes have changed dramatically in the past few years as people have become more adventurous. "Tastes have certainly got drier since the days of Blue Nun," he said. "New World wines, although dry, have a slightly sweet taste because of the way the grapes ripen in the sun and this has made them easy to drink.

"Brands such as Penfolds and Gallo have helped people become more confident as they trust them and will try different types of wine these companies produce. This has helped people with no history of wine-buying to become interested in wine."

Overall, the amount of wine drunk per head in the UK rose by almost a fifth between 1997 and 2001 to a glass-clinking 20.8 litres - or 28 bottles.

The large increase in consumption is expected to continue well into next year, when Britons will add an extra five bottles of wine each to their annual consumption of more than £5.7 billion.

Such a phenomenal rise in demand is faster even than in nations famous for their love of the vine. France has only seen an increase in demand of about two per cent. However, the French drink the largest amount of wine in the world, knocking back 76.4 litres - or 101 bottles per person - every year. Italy is close behind, consuming 61.1 litres, followed by Portugal drinking 53.1 litres. While Britain's wine-drinking capacity comes in at just 22nd in the world ranking, Robert Beynat, chief executive of Vinexpo, said this country has seen an extraordinary growth in demand.

"The world of wine and spirits is undergoing major, if not revolutionary changes," he said. "The UK is at the forefront as one of the countries where wine consumption is growing the fastest and it has probably the most varied imports on offer of any country. I think what we see in this market will be mirrored elsewhere in Europe in the future."

The world's major wine producers are set to descend on Bordeaux in June for a two-yearly trade conference. The event is now so large that just one aisle of wine stalls stretches for 1,000 metres.

The International Wine and Spirit Survey found the most popular brand in the UK is Gallo, followed by Jacob's Creek, Blossom Hill and Stamps of Australia.