The British brand Marks & Spencer has just published its first report aimed at “debunking the myths” about the level of wine knowledge among the British. The conclusions are surprising to say the least…
P
As a historic wine consumer, Britain seems to have lost its footing when it comes to wine knowledge. “ From a country of connoisseurs, we have moved to a country of wine bluffers, with only one in five people knowing what terms like “tannins”, “terroir” or woody mean. », note Marks & Spencer dans son rapport « Mythbusting ».
Rosé concentrates preconceived ideas
And there are many myths to be busted among British consumers. While the brand has seen its sales of rosé wines cross the million bottle mark since the start of spring – with a bottle of rosé sold every two seconds last summer – it notes that less than half of Britons believe that it is acceptable to drink rosé in winter, and that 85% of them say they do not drink dark-colored rosé because they consider it to be of lower quality than the pale versions. This is good news for Provence – widely perceived as the best rosé wine vineyard in the world – but it is an obstacle to discovery and the sustainability of the category. If one person in ten still thinks that rosé is made by mixing white and red wine, overall the British are purists when it comes to drinking rosé: only one person in five finds it acceptable to add ice cubes, even when it’s hot. Conversely, according to house oenologist Belinda Kleinig, “ People often mistakenly assume that rosé should be drunk ice cold, which can have the effect of dulling its fruity flavors and masking aromas. ».
New packaging and wine profiles…
However, there is no question of considering putting light red wines in the refrigerator: only one in six people would accept it. Received ideas also die hard when it comes to packaging: only a third of those questioned* believe that a wine packaged in alternative formats such as pockets, bag-in-boxes or cans can equal a wine packaged in a glass bottle in terms of quality. Moreover, few consumers know how long a wine lasts once the bottle is opened, or that certain alternative packaging considerably extends this duration. Finally, concerning wine profiles whose large-scale marketing is relatively recent – such as Pet’Nat or orange wines – there too the myths are legion. In the latter case, three-quarters of consumers have never heard of it (some even think that it is a wine fortified with orange liqueur), while for Pet’Nat, only 11% of them know it, with many consumers believing that it is a tool for sorting grapes! As for wines with a cloudy appearance, only 29% of those surveyed would drink them or serve them to their guests.
More afraid of making the wrong choice than of taking the plane!
« In the world of wine, many consumers have difficulty separating fact from fiction. », observes Marks & Spencer, which believes that this lack of knowledge considerably slows down the appreciation of wine. “ The #WineWorries study we published last summer demonstrated that it is more urgent than ever to demystify the wine aisle “. And to affirm that a quarter of respondents admit to spending, perplexed, more than 10 minutes in front of the shelf, a time which increases to more than 15 minutes among those under 25. “ In reality, the fears among those under 35 are so great that they are more afraid of making a mistake in choosing wine for the evening meal than of taking a plane! »
*The survey was carried out from May 24 to June 4, 2024 by OnePoll among 2,000 major wine consumers
