American Women Prefer Red Wine, Study Says

I’m a wine drinker. I thoroughly enjoy the intensity of a complex red, the crispness of a smooth white, the subtle fruits of a chilled rosé.

Which color wine I drink usually depends on my mood, the weather, and often what I’m eating. I have a collection of glasses (a recent obsession that is a whole other story) and the color of the wine typically dictates the choice of glass–not the grape variety like for some wine aficionados–part of a spectrum that ranges from everyday juice glass to inexpensive stemless to fine crystal.

Thinking back to the era of the ever-popular white wine spritzer (to which I never took a liking), I was surprised to learn the news that American women prefer red wine. A recent study conducted by the WineSpectator.com surveyed 431 women in the U.S. (part of a larger global survey of 4,300 women worldwide) and found that the large majority of American women–79 percent–typically choose red wine over white and rosé (Red was the preference of 60 percent of  all of the women surveyed globally).

Of the American women surveyed, 93 percent said they drink wine once a week, and of that group, 80 percent said they drink most often with meals. When asked why they drink, 92 percent of the women said they like the taste, and 71 percent answered “because it goes well with food.” Less than 2 percent of American women said they drink wine because it’s fashionable (phew–we aren’t as image conscious as I’d thought). And a whopping 97 percent of the U.S. respondents believe that wine is part of a healthy, balanced diet!

When it comes to cost, 66 percent of the American women spend an average of between $11 and $20 per bottle when buying from a retail store, while 26 percent will spend between $21 and $50.

So, if you have any favorite reds to share, please do. My cellar (read: rack in the boiler room) could use some replenishing…

Tagged as: red wine, study, Wine, women and drinking