A Toast to Mars and Venus: Wine Facts

(onlinedatingmagazine.com - April 15, 2004) From romantic dates to business dinners to social gatherings, wine plays a prominent role during many important occasions. Because of this, there's ample opportunity for men and women to develop distinct relationships with this age-old beverage. The following statistics taken from a recent online survey of U.S. wine drinkers for VINEXPO AMERICAS, a wine and spirits exhibition, uncork similarities and differences when it comes to men, women and wine:

> Forty-four percent of adults surveyed prefer red wine, with men more likely to prefer red wine (57 percent) than women (31 percent).

> Ever wonder if you are judged on your wine knowledge on a date? More than three in 10 men (35 percent) agree that knowledge and passion about wine makes a member of the opposite sex more attractive. However, 81 percent of women disagree that wine knowledge and passion make someone more attractive.

> Being thrifty with a bottle of wine does not create a favorable first date impression. Half (50 percent) of those surveyed believe that $15 or more should be spent on a bottle of wine on the first date, while more men (32 percent) than women (18 percent) believe $20 or more should be spent on a bottle on a first date.

> Wine drinkers believe that men are most likely to admit their wine knowledge on a date (40 percent of men and 45 percent of women feel this way) than in a coed social setting (men and women 18 percent) or with family (men 14 percent, women 13 percent).

> Half (48 percent) of respondents report that they are “not very” or “not at all” confident when it comes to choosing a quality bottle of wine, so make sure you do a little research before picking a bottle for a special occasion. However, more men (60 percent) than women (45 percent) consider themselves confident when it comes to picking out a quality bottle of wine.

> More than half (54 percent) of Americans agree that when they drink wine, they feel as though they are drinking something sophisticated and elegant.

> Wine evokes an aura of relaxation for one in three (36 percent) Americans who point to wine’s calming properties and 42 percent who are more likely to have a glass of wine after a particularly stressful day (46 percent of women versus 37 percent of men feel this way).

> Wine drinkers are more likely to believe that women (58 percent) drink wine more often (at least two times per week) than men (9 percent).

VINEXPO AMERICAS is returning to the United States from June 20-22, 2004, in Chicago, where 400 exhibitors and 10,000 North American wine and spirits industry professionals are expected to participate.

The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive® among 1,143 wine drinkers, defined as anyone who has consumed at least one glass of wine in the past 12 months. The margin of error for this study is plus or minus 2.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.