Wine drinkers typically spend £9 on a bottle for themselves – but £12.50 when hosting, to impress their guests with pricier plonk. A poll of 2,000 wine drinkers found 44 percent splash out when hosting at Christmas – with this rising to 56 percent when gifting to someone else, as 27 percent still think premium labels are better quality.
And three-quarters will do so because they want an expensive bottle to celebrate a special occasion, while 35 percent want to impress their guests.
However, 23 percent admit they find buying wine a stressful experience – with 51 percent of these claiming there are too many options to choose from.
And 46 percent don’t know how to identify a good bottle from a bad, while 32 percent are simply bewildered by wine jargon.
The research was commissioned by Lidl GB, to mark the return of its Chateaux Noir events, which are designed to democratise wine and challenge preconceptions about wine etiquette through a tasting experience – in total darkness.
The sensory events will see the supermarket take on major drinks brands, as it aims to dispel the belief drinkers need to blow the bank to enjoy quality booze.
It also emerged half of wine drinkers (51 percent) tend to stick to what they know, and 49 percent choose a bottle based on where it comes from.
But 45 percent will default to whatever is on offer, while 23 percent have a “go-to” bottle – and 18 percent will opt for whatever label they like the look of.
Meanwhile, 24 percent wish they knew more about wine – with nearly a third saying they would experiment with different wines if they knew more about them.
But while many are keen to experiment with wine, there are some rules they certainly won’t abide by.
For instance, 43 percent are happy to serve white with a dish that isn’t fish, and 39 percent will drink rosé all year round.
Many don’t mind if their bottle is corked or a screw top (37 percent), and 35 percent will drink champagne from any glass, not just a flute.
Nearly a third (31 percent) will even chill a bottle of red, and 30 percent will pop a few ice cubes into their vino on a warm day.
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In fact, 31 percent find “wine etiquette” snobbish, with just eight percent believing that following traditional “rules” of wine etiquette enhances their enjoyment of the drink.
The events will be hosted by Lidl GB’s master of wine, Richard Bampfield, and will see guests enter a “palate-cleansing tunnel” before a blackout wine tasting room.
He said: “At Chateaux Noir, not only do we want to challenge preconceptions about affordable wine, and prove to customers that great taste isn’t determined by premium branded price tags, but also to open people’s minds and challenge what they think they know already about wine.
“So, if you think you’re a strictly red drinker – think again. We’ll reveal how similar flavour profiles can carry across different categories that you might never have otherwise considered.
“This Christmas, Chateaux Noir is encouraging shoppers to rip up the rule book and start experimenting. Ultimately, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to drink wine – if you love it, then that’s all that matters.”
Over-18s can secure tickets here for the Chateaux Noir events, which will take place in London, Glasgow, and Liverpool in November, with all proceeds going to the NSPCC.
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