Binge drinking risk as sales of magnums go up massively

MAGNUMS of wine, once a decadence reserved for special celebrations, have hit the mainstream, with sales soaring by up to 500 per cent.

Experts have warned this could lead to binge drinking at home if there is a price incentive to buy wine in larger quantities.

Majestic Wine reported that sales of magnums had multiplied by a factor of five over the past year, and significant increases in sales were reported by all the large supermarkets.

The large bottles of prosecco, champagne and wine, which hold 150cl, compared to the usual 75cl, have become more affordable, and are in some cases thriftier for the volume of drink than single bottles.

Waitrose’s Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Villages Magnum costs £13.49 when it is on sale, and £17.99 at its normal price, while a regular-sized bottle of the same wine costs £9.99. There is a saving of £2 if shoppers buy the magnum, even at its non-sale price.

Tesco’s magnum of Soave costs just £8, while a 75cl bottle is £4.35, a saving of 35p per bottle. A magnum of Sainsbury’s House Pinot Grigiot costs £9; a bottle is £4.65.

At Waitrose, purchases of magnums have doubled over the past year, while Sainsbury’s and Tesco seen growth of more than 20 per cent. Discount stores have also begun to offer the larger bottles. A record £15 million in magnum sales was reported in the UK last year, according to Nielsen Research.

Professor Petra Meier, the head of the Alcohol Research Group at the University of Sheffield, said there could be binge drinking worries if the bottles become commonly seen as a cheaper option.