It has long been speculated that men and women perceive and approach wine differently.  Traditionally, the wine industry has been considered to be male dominant, with gentlemen assuming most of the roles as winemakers, executives, salesmen, collectors, etc.  Over the past decade or so, we have seen a shift in the industry: a larger number of high-profile, senior-level roles being assigned to strong, secure, and appropriately qualified women.  But how, if at all, do the changes that we have seen translate into the world of the female wine consumer?  Is the demographic of the average wine drinker changing on the front lines as well as behind the scene?

To address this question, Vinexpo decided to launch an online study of Women and Wine.  The survey was offered through various participating news outlets in the five world capitals selected, including Decanter and Livingetc in the UK, Elle in Japan, Focus in Germany, L’Express in France, and Wine Spectator in the U.S.  Some 4,306 women wine consumers were questioned with regards to their values, behaviors and expectations, with global and national results being examined to identify universal and individual trends. 

Globally, the results were reassuring and definitely reflected an increasing sense of independence and fulfillment among drinkers.  62.6% of the women claimed to drink wine at least once a week, with women over the age of 60 leading the group at 72.2% (you go, Golden Girls!).  Most women surveyed believe that wine is a lifestyle (53.7%) and drink because they like the taste (79.3%). Contrary to popular belief, red wine is the drink of choice for 60.1%, while whites come in at 33.7% and rosés at 6.2%.  So forget that image you have of all the older ladies of the world guzzling down their jugs of sweet pink Zinfandel… apparently most would prefer a nice glass of red!

Happily, 86.4% of women defined wine as neither feminine nor masculine.  Only 10% found that wine was more a feminine drink, and the age breakdown attests to the previously mentioned shifts seen within the industry (16.6% of 18 to 30 year olds thought wine is a more feminine drink, 12.3% of 31 to 45 year olds, 2.6% of 46 to 60 year olds, and 1.8% of those over 60).  Women are also becoming more comfortable selecting wines on their own, with 64% of those aged 18 to 30 taking on the challenge as opposed to 55.9% aged 31 to 45 or 57.4% aged 46 to 60.  The main reasons listed for selecting a wine were price (56.7%), country of origin (55.9%) and grape variety (55.6%) as opposed to selecting a wine for the label and packaging (22%) or the color (8.4%), exhibiting an increased knowledge base among consumers.

While I’d love to tout the results among the 431 U.S. participants, I have to say that I do not believe that they accurately depict the average female wine consumer across the country.  Given the specialty and focus of the participating U.S. magazines as opposed to the more general coverage of the other media sources used in the other countries surveyed, the results seem a bit more extreme than a broader-based publication might have achieved. 

Basically, the majority of U.S. women surveyed were of course serious wine drinkers and lovers, as most of them approached the survey through a wine-centric publication’s website.  Therefore, while it’s fantastic to claim that 92.5% of American women drink wine at least once a week, it’s pretty clear to me that that figure is not truly an accurate assessment of the average female consumer but more an idea of how frequently those who are very “into” wine drink.  I know people in the industry who certainly enjoy wine that frequently, and I know many other friends and family members who would laugh at the suggestion.  Same goes for 91.8% of the American women surveyed who noted that they drink because they like the taste; if they didn’t like it, then they probably wouldn’t care to be reading editorial on the subject!

I think that the concept behind the survey was a fantastic idea, but I’d love to see a more balanced and quantifiable study approached.  The findings are without a doubt important and valuable, both to the industry and the average consumer.  The more we understand our wine audience, both male and female, the better we can offer them whatever they’re looking for.

What do you think about the study; do you think that researching these gender based questions are important? Do you believe that there are certain preconceptions or stereotypes relating to gender associated with wine drinkers?  If you’re a woman, how do you think your answers would compare to the majorities mentioned above?