When it comes to wine, Asian women love their reds

Women across Asia have very different reasons for drinking wine, according to a new survey, but there is one thing they all have in common. They love a drop of red more than anything else.

With Hong Kong hosting Vinexpo (http://www.vinexpo.com) from May 25 to May 27, the focus of the international wine community will turn to Asia this month - and so organizers of the event decided to delve into the wine-drinking habits of women from the region.

Their survey, released this week, showed 84 percent of Chinese women preferred red wine to white, and that 62 percent of women from Hong Kong did much the same.

According to a Vinexpo press release this is the "complete reverse'' of the situation which unfolded when wine consumption first took off in both northern Europe and the United States several decades ago.

Vinexpo's survey polled 2,810 women from China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea "in order to identify what they have in common and what differences there are depending on where they live.''

In Japan - considered the most mature wine market in Asia - 42 percent of women surveyed said they drank wine more than twice a week, while on average the figure from the other countries came in at around 25 percent. And 86 percent of all the women believe that drinking wine helps maintain a balanced diet.

Taste, meanwhile, was the main reason 92 percent of Japanese women chose wine and 74 percent of Korean, while 66 percent of Japanese women and 46 percent of those from Hong Kong choose a drop because they believe it goes well with food.

"While price and the taste is a factor, it appears that Asian women choose their wine based on their own tastes and preferences and not what is currently fashionable." Robert Beynat, chief Executive of Vinexpo, said in a press release.
Vinexpo will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will feature 842 exhibitors from 32 countries.

MS