Growing numbers are prepared to spend up to £10 a time, with sales of wines priced between £8 and £9 rising 21 per cent over the past year, says a survey.

The booming sales “contradict the widely-held expectation that the stagnating economy would lead to consumers spending less on wine,” says the report from Bibendum Wine.

The trend is for a “burgeoning market” in high quality wine. The report says: “It is beginning to capture the imagination of drinkers who are increasingly spending more money to find something new, exciting and delicious.”