Global survey finds women are "epicurean, modern and uninhibited" wine drinkers

(Bordeaux, France, May 11, 2009) -- Wine is becoming a ladies’ affair with today’s typical female wine drinker found to be "epicurean, modern and uninhibited", according to a new survey by Vinexpo, organisers of the world's largest annual wine fair.

As career women emerge as a key target market, Vinexpo polled 4,306 women aged over 18 in five capitals, analysing their values, buying behaviour, expectations and attitudes to identify common trends and differences among them.


The survey was conducted in Paris, London, Tokyo, Berlin and New York in partnership with national magazines
L’Express (France), Focus (Germany), Elle (Japan), Decanter and Livingetc (UK), and Wine Spectator (US).


The overall finding was that women have become liberated wine drinkers, adopting an epicurean attitude towards wine.

Six out of ten enjoy a glass of wine at least once a week. As women become more mature, wine becomes an increasingly regular source of enjoyment: 72.2% of women over 60 drink at least one glass of wine a week, compared to 60% of 18-30 year olds.

The majority (53.7%) and an especially large proportion of American women (72%), see drinking wine as an art of life rather than a tradition (39.9%) or cultural product (42%).

They enjoy wine at special, social events amongst friends (68.6%) and during meals (71.2%).

One highlight is that more than 85% of women think that drinking wine is compatible with maintaining a balanced diet. This opinion is particularly striking in the US (96.9%) and in Germany (87.8%).

“In all five countries women are clearly making independent choices. They enjoy wine as an art of life and associate it with friendship and sharing,” said Robert Beynat, Chief Executive of Vinexpo.

The modern woman makes wine hers

Contrary to popular belief, red wine is preferred by women and accounts for 60.1% of wines they purchase. This preference extends to 78.6% in the US and 63.9% in Japan. It is lower, but still a preference at 50.2%, in Germany, which is of course a major producer of white wines.

Far from saying that wine is a fashionable product, when asked why they drink wine, 79.3% of the women simply "enjoy the taste". More than nine out of ten women claim this in Japan and in the US, compared to six out of ten French women who cite food and wine pairings.

Within the five select countries, 87.9% of 18-30 year old women drink wine because they like the taste, and 67.5% of over-60’s.

Furthermore, wine drinking is not associated with male or female behaviour. Only 3.6% consider it a man’s drink.

They are uninhibited and confident when buying wine

Women’s attitudes towards wine are unrestrained; they make their choices freely without fear or taboo. They consider price or taste.

44.3% select bottles of wine alone, without advice or assistance. British women are more independent, with 61.3% making their own personal choices, while only 7.3% of Japanese women choose alone, the majority preferring to be assisted by an advisor.

For 56.7% of women, price is the most important criterion for making their decision. This is especially the case in Japan and in the UK, where 75.3% and 73.8% respectively prioritise price. The country of production and grape variety come immediately after price.

The findings also reveal that women prefer to buy their wines at wine stores (72.1%) or at a supermarket (64.2%), rather than on the Internet (21%).

About Vinexpo

Founded in 1981 following an initiative by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vinexpo has emerged over the years as the largest professional exhibition in the world for the wine and spirits industry. Exhibitions are held in Bordeaux every odd year and are attended by 50,000 trade visitors from 154 countries and 2,400 exhibitors representing 45 producer countries.

In parallel in even years, Vinexpo Overseas, a subsidiary of Vinexpo, organises Vinexpo Asia-Pacific or Vinexpo Americas. In 1998 the first Vinexpo Asia-Pacific exhibition took place in Hong Kong, followed in 2000 and 2002 by two exhibitions in Tokyo. Vinexpo Americas was held in 2002 in New York and in 2004 in Chicago. Like in 2006 and 2008, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific will again be held in Hong Kong in 2010.

See the Vinexpo site for more information: www.vinexpo.com



Vinexpo takes place in Bordeaux
from Sunday 21st to Thursday 25th June 2009