(CellarVieWines) - According to market analysts Nielsen, rosé wine now accounts for a record one in eight bottles of wine bought in supermarkets and off-licences in Britain, which is considerably higher than the one in 40 recorded in 2000.

Such is the increase in popularity of a wine previously deemed as a convenient thirst quencher, sales of rosé in Britain is now worth an estimated £1.8 million a day or £646 million a year.

Although poor weather and a particularly dire summer in 2012 saw rosé wine buying marginally decline, industry experts believe the shift towards the increased production of stellar rosés has enabled it to emerge as a wine that can be enjoyed all year round.

Nielsen claims that 12% of all wine bought outside of pubs is now rosé compared to a paltry 2.7% in 2000, while the report also indicates New World styles, particularly those from California, are amongst the most popular. Rose wines from Provence in the south of France are also emerging as an increasingly sought after sector for UK wine buyers.