What do UK wine drinkers really enjoy?
ALTHOUGH there is a growing number of people in this country who recognise better-known grape varieties and styles of wine, it would be a mistake to believe that this is the case for the majority.
It is easy enough to forget that you are part of a minority group with a specialist interest if you happen to exist in the world of hotels and restaurants where wine-drinking is relatively common and winespeak is not an unknown language.
There may be more wine than ever available in the UK and there may be more wine drinkers around, but newcomers, according to an NOP Consumer Market Research survey published last month, are no more sophisticated about wine than the vast bulk of UK drinkers ever were.
Despite the huge growth in the variety of wines available in Great Britain, the best-recalled brands are still Blue Nun (17%) and Black Tower (9%). When asked to recall generic styles, 31% of respondents recalled Liebfraumilch and 25% Lambrusco.
You might think, as I did, that red and white wines were more or less equal in popularity with white perhaps a little ahead, and that dry wines were generally preferred. In fact, the survey shows that white wine drinkers outnumber red drinkers by almost three to one, and that twice as many people prefer sweet or medium to medium dry or dry.
More people, meanwhile, are shown to be drinking wine. The number ofwine-drinkers increased to 66% of drinkers of alcoholic drinks in 1994, representing a growth of 5% compared with the previous year. In the under-45 age group the number of wine drinkers increased 8% to 72% in 1994.
Part of the increase is believed to stem from the use of "coolers" - wine mixed with fruit juice, lemonade or tonic. The habit is especially popular with women. The survey suggests that 43% of women drinkers now choose to drink coolers.
As for German wine, so widely neglected by serious wine drinkers and by restaurant wine lists across the UK, the survey shows that 30% opt for German wine and only 26% for French. In London, however, twice as many people prefer French to German wine.
Sophistication aside, things are looking up for those who ship and sell wine. Spending on wine grew strongly in the UK in 1993 after duties came down, but will slow down in 1995, according to a Consumer Spending Prospects report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The report forecasts a continued decline in spending on spirits.
Lovers of Liebfraumilch and Lambrusco may in the meantime be disappointed by the report which predicted a growth in the sales of quality wine, Champagne and sparkling wine at the expense of lower-priced, lower-quality products.
For information about the NOP survey, tel 071-612 0547, and the Economist Intelligence Unit report, tel: 071-830 1000.
