Women wear trousers when buying the wine

Women buy eight out of ten bottles of wine drunk at home, a survey has shown, which experts say explodes the myth that men are more knowledgable about wine.

The survey by Vinexpo for Decanter Magazine, showed women in the UK are far more confident in their abilities to choose a good bottle of wine that their French or US counterparts and retailers have been advised to spend more time marketing towards women's needs..

Six out of ten women in Britain said they drank wine at least once a week, while the same number said they preferred red wine to white.Fewer than one in ten women preferred rose.



Mr Robert Beynat, Chief Executive of Vinexpo, said: "The role of women in wine buying and the depth of their knowledge has been vastly underestimated. This is as true for other countries as it is for Britain. It is often assumed, for example, that women drink white wine and rose rather than red whereas this research shows the contrary."

He added: "The message for wine marketers is clear: cherchez la femme if you want to sell."

The survey found women drink wine because they like the taste and felt it was a healthier alternative to other alcoholic drinks.