Wine-drinking Brits stick to bargain bottles

Updated
Brits opt for cheap wine
Brits opt for cheap wine

Pic: Getty

Wine is fast becoming the Brits' tipple of choice, but according to new research what we're drinking is far less important than price.

In a poll of young British wine-drinkers by drinks specialist Harpers, the majority said they flatly refused to pay more than £6 for a bottle, with only seven per cent willing to pay more than £10 for a high quality vino. More than half of the 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed said they would only buy wine that was on promotion.


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With price seemingly our main focus when it comes to choosing a bottle, it is hardly surprising that many don't know what we're buying. In fact, one in three of those polled were unable to name a single grape type, with just four per cent able name more than ten. When it came to wine knowledge though, men were far more likely to know their stuff.

The poll would appear to back up a recent study by the London Wine Academy, which found that eight out of ten people preferred a £4.99 wine to a £19.99 option made from the same grapes, suggesting that our love of a bargain has influenced our taste in vino.

The fact that 80 per cent of all wine sold in the UK goes for less than £6 a bottle is bad news for the wine-making producers, however, who make little profit from bargain basement deals.
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Jeremy Rockett, marketing director at wine distributor Gonzalez Byass, believes young people are simply confused by the vast array of bottles available on the shelves.

He told the Daily Mail: "You go into a supermarket and there's a wall of products that all look broadly the same.

"There are 900 glass bottles of similar size and shape, but different countries, different grape types - many you've never heard of - all with different prices. Where do you start as a young person? It's really, really hard."

What do you think? Do you pay attention to what you're buying, or just go for the cheapest deal? Leave your comments below...

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