WINENEWS POLL - VINITALY THERE IS A GROWING INTEREST IN WINE IN THE FEMALE WORLD: 74% ATTEND WINE TASTING, 49% BUY GUIDES AND MAGAZINES, 73% BROWSE SITES AND BLOGS DAILY. THE WOMAN WHO KNOWS WINE IS ABSOLUTELY SEXY

A woman who is competent and comfortable among glasses of Brunello and Barolo, wine lists and sommelier terminology? She is very definitely sexy. This is the response of 91% of Italian male wine lovers who responded to the www.winenews.it survey, one of the most popular sites clicked by lovers of good wine as well as fans of Vinitaly, the International Wine Review to be held in Verona, from 8 to 12 April (www.vinitaly.it). The female population is more and more interested in winemaking: 74% of women said they attended courses on wine tasting; 49% often buy wine guides and magazines; 73% consult specialized sites and blogs daily. The male population is watching this phenomenon with interest and curiosity.
The survey involved 1,789 enonauts (wine & web lovers) proposing different questions for men and women. Men were asked how many female wine enthusiasts or experts they knew: 52% answered they know more than 5 women; 25% said they know 3 – 5; 19% answered 1 or 2, and only 4% said they do not know anybody. Women, however, are not confined to just theory: 52% of the male “enonauts” who participated in the survey said once in a while at dinner in a restaurant a woman has wanted to personally choose the wine; 11% instead said this has happened many times; 37%, replied they never had never gone out with ladies who wanted to personally choose the wine from the wine list.
Meanwhile, women do not hide a growing interest in the world of enology: 74% of the women who responded to the survey claim to have attended a wine tasting course, compared with 26% who have never attended a course. 49% often buy magazines or specialized guides on wine, 38% occasionally and 13% never. The web is one of the main sources of information: as many as 73% of women surveyed consult wine sites and blogs every day, 26% occasionally and only 1% of respondents, never. And, women do not restrict themselves to virtual knowledge only: 51% buy at least 4-5 bottles of wine per month; 25% about 10 bottles a month, while 24% buy 1 or 2 bottles per month. What about at restaurants? As many as 41% of women say they often choose the wine when they are out to dinner with their boyfriend or friends, 31% say they always choose it, and 23% occasionally. Only 5% of women who responded to the survey never choose the wine when dining out. What do men really think of women wine experts? The overwhelming majority (91%) answered they like women wine experts, while only 9% were indifferent. No one claimed a dislike; rather, men considered women interested in wine sexy, intelligent, out of the ordinary and fascinating. This passion can be shared in a couple situation, many pointed out, because besides being an inexhaustible topic of conversation it is also a great excuse to attend a wine tasting or take wine discovery trips together.
Yet, the female world does not seem to completely agree with this interpretation. Asked how men judge women wine experts, the women who responded to the survey complained there was some resistance from the male world. If there are, indeed, intelligent men who appreciate and respect a woman who knows more than they do, most men are arrogant and distrustful in judging women wine experts. In short, two conflicting interpretations that confirm (as in other areas), that emancipated and competent women are quite appreciated in theory, much less in reality...