By Charlotte Hope, Lifestyle Editor, @TLE_Lifestyle
I like wine, no screw (no pun intended) that I LOVE wine, of all sorts, colours and price. So I can’t say this survey applies to me, and I would have been too drunk to fill it in anyway. However, 2,000 wine drinkers did and there were some startling results.
Red wine drinkers earn more money, are more confident and are more likely to watch Dr Who, than those who sip white wine. Experts examined the lifestyles and personality traits of red, white, rosé and sparking drinkers and found those who prefer a glass of red are also most likely to have a degree and live in a detached house.
But white wine fans were found to be better team players and the most generous – spending more on Christmas gifts for others than their red wine drinking counterparts.
Gerard Basset MW OBE, spokesman for French Wines with Style, who commissioned the research, said: ‘’It seems there really are no secrets anymore, with even your choice of wine giving you away.
‘’If you want to understand a personality, all you have to do is watch what people are drinking.
‘’Most people have a favourite or preferred type of wine and by choosing it in front of others, you could end up giving away a few clues about your personality and lifestyle.
‘’Perhaps we can even find our friends, business and life partners by looking at the type of wine they like to drink.’’
The study of 2,000 wine drinkers found those who love clubbing, listening to music and shopping are most likely to be rosé drinkers, while sparkling wine lovers are most likely to enjoy reading, going for walks and socialising with friends.
Drinkers of red are most likely to be fans of keeping fit, cycling, gardening and team sports, but white wine drinkers were found not to have any particular favourites.
However, the research did show what they don’t like, with listening to music, reading and keeping fit topping the list.
But when asked whether they would prefer to go to the theatre, visit the cinema or stay at home and watch TV, white wine drinkers are the most likely to be found watching a live performance on the stage, with red wine drinkers opting for the cinema, and rosé drinkers preferring to settle down in front of the TV.
In fact rosé drinkers watch an average of 3.2 hours a day, closely followed by sparkling fans who watch 3.1 hours, with white and red wine drinkers watching 3 and 2.8 hours respectively.
And when it comes to what they are watching, Downton Abbey was the favourite amongst sparkling drinkers, with those who prefer red turning on to Dr Who.
In the battle between Strictly and X-Factor, white wine fans were wooed by the ballroom, while X-Factor viewers were most likely to be supping a chilled glass of rosé.
The study also found rosé drinkers are the biggest fans of social media, spending just over an hour a day updating their profiles – almost a quarter of an hour a day more than the sparkling drinkers and almost double that of red and white wine fans.
But while those who drink rosé are most likely to have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, red wine fans were found to be the biggest LinkedIn users, while the rosé drinkers were the biggest users of Vine.
White wine drinkers are least likely to have a Facebook or Twitter account of all wine lovers.
With Christmas fast approaching the ‘French Wines with Style Report’ found those who drink red and sparkling are the most scrooge-like – spending an average of £329 and £330 respectively on festive presents each year.
This is compared to the £344 spent by rosé drinkers and the £361 spent by white wine drinkers.
Red wine fans are also less thoughtful, being more likely to just ‘buy the first thing they see’ or take just minutes to choose a gift for someone, while rosé drinkers are the most likely to take a few weeks or even over a month to pick the perfect gift.
Perhaps that’s why more red wine drinkers will be having Christmas dinner alone, while rosé drinkers are the most likely to be sharing it with their whole family.
It also emerged red wine drinkers are most likely to consider themselves as ‘laidback and casual’, like celebrities Matthew McConaughey and Ellie Goulding, while a large number of white wine drinkers consider themselves ‘authentic and natural’ like Holly Willoughby or Dermot O’Leary.
And while sparkling fans consider themselves to be ‘quirky and fun’, like Paloma Faith and Alan Carr, fans of rosé are most likely to describe their personality as ‘glamourous and chic’ – similar to Frankie Bridge and George Clooney.
Bosses could get a few clues about potential employees from the wine they choose, with those who opt for red most likely to be promoted, class their career as successful and be more likely to prefer working alone rather than as part of a team.
They can also expect to earn more – with an average salary of £27,702 compared to the £25,375 annual wage of white wine drinkers.
Rosé drinkers earn less again with an average salary of £22,682, while those who drink sparkling earn just £22,479.
Red wine drinkers were also revealed as the oldest with an average age of 45, but 21 per cent are in their sixties, compared to just 15 per cent of white wine drinkers and just over one in ten of those who drink rosé.
Instead, almost four in ten rosé drinkers are in their twenties along with more than one in five twenty-somethings who favour sparkling.
This could explain why those who drink rosé and sparking are the least likely group to have children, but most likely to want them in the future.
The type of house you live in can also be discerned by the wine you drink, with those living in a flat or apartment most likely to enjoy sparkling wine, whereas those living in a detached or semi-detached house prefer red and rose respectively.
Terrace house dwellers though are most likely to be white wine fans.
Gerard Basset from French Wines with Style added: ‘’To help people choose a wine that best reflects their style and outlooks on life, French Wines with Style has worked with the country’s leading wine writers and sommeliers to develop ‘The Absolutely Cracking Wines of France’ – a list of 176 of the best French wines currently available in the UK.’’
To see the full list, visit http://vins-france.com/en/
Photocredit Wikipedia/