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Britain appears to be turning its back on binge drinking after a report revealed that sales of low-alcohol red, white and rose are set to soar this summer.
Sales of minimal alcohol tipples are increasing by a whopping 250 per cent per month and now account for almost a fifth of all wine sold.
As a result, producers have responded to the trend by launching 'lifestyle' wines - which they claim are the ideal substitute for full-strength booze whatever the occasion. 
Popular: Low-alcohol wines are becoming increasingly popular with sales up by a whopping 250 per cent
Lifestyle: Many leading producers are now offering low-alcohol alternatives to regular wine
Among them is Blossom Hill, currently the bestselling wine brand in the UK, First Cape, Black Tower and JP Chenet, all of whom are offering brews with, on average, half of the alcohol found in tradtional wines.
Particularly popular is Blossom Hill's Vie Rose, which is just 5.5 per cent alcohol - unlike the 11 per cent found in normal wine.
Better still, say the company, the reduced alcohol translates to reduced calories, with just 55 per 125ml in the low alcohol wine compared to 114 in the regular version.Speaking about the trend, Ewan Lacey, General Manager of International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) said: 'We have seen a doubling of low alcohol entries at the IWSC, predominantly from wines coming from regions that traditionally make low alcohol wines such as Asti in Italy.
'All of the wines in the competition are of an extremely high standard so there are options at a more premium scale as well.'
Rosie Davenport, Editor of Off License News added: 'Demand for wines that are lower in alcohol and with fewer calories has grown from pretty much zero into a £36.9 million market in recent years.
'Like buying reduced-calorie foods, some wine drinkers want to watch the number that are in their glass, which is why retailers have been stocking a bigger range of bottles at 5.5 per cent ABV to meet this need.
'Aside from the health benefits, some shoppers also prefer the taste of these lighter style wines, especially during the summer when they want something more refreshing and less full-bodied to enjoy in the sunshine.'
The growing sales figures, which were unveiled in a report by price comparison site, bringabottle.co.uk, are also thought to be a result of the lower amount of tax incurred by 'lifestyle' wines.
'Lower alcohol wines are all cheaper than standard bottles due to the tax bracket,' explained a bringabottle.co.uk spokesperson.
'If a bottle of wine is less that 5.5 per cent ABV then it is taxed less by the government. Not many people know that if a traditional bottle of wine costs £5 in the supermarket, more than £2 of that is actually tax. 'The lower alcohol wines ares taxed less than £1 a bottle so they're all significantly cheaper.'
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