Vote in our poll!

Every month we ask a topical question to either test your knowledge or seek your opinion. To take part in this month's poll simply click on one of the multi-choice answers on the poll on the right hand side of this page. The latest results will be revealed.

Previous Poll Results

Wine is mainly sold in 750ml bottles but some producers are putting wine in 500ml bottles to share between two. Do you think smaller bottles are a good idea?

Poll ran April 2008

Comment by Chris Scott:
This poll was run after a number of health groups suggested that the sensible bottle size for two people was 500ml rather than the normal 750ml. The results indicate the largest group see no use for smaller bottles, however 55% said they would buy them at least occasionally if not regularly.

For me the biggest issue is a reduction of choice. Would smaller bottles exist alongside larger bottles or would a different range of wines exist for smaller bottles. This was not considered a issue with only 6% of those polled saying they were not worried.

When the poll was asked to small groups there was a lot of bravado that smaller bottles had no use. Some said they would purchase them occasionally as they often found 750ml was not enough for two and they could drink two 500ml bottles instead! Other anecdotal comments were that a 500ml bottle of each of white and red would suit a couple better when they don't like the same wine as their partner.

All in all, I don't think that offering smaller bottles will make much difference to consumption. Some will drink more because of it, while others will drink less. The last point I would like to make is that even if all the wine is not finished off in one evening, it is possible to leave the remaining wine in the bottle using a gadget to preserve wine, such as a Vacuvin pump or alternative method.

The poll had 270 entries.

Fairtrade wine is being made in Chile, Argentina and South Africa. If it was available alongside other wines would you buy it?

Poll ran March 2008

Comment by Chris Scott:
The biggest category is "If I had the choice I would buy it, but I haven’t seen Fairtrade wine on the shelves" I think this represents a group of people who have a moral twinge but not enough to do anything about it. A quick survey of supermarkets shows that while Fairtrade wines are not common on the shelves they are about. My local Tesco superstore had three Fairtrade wines. Fairtrade is available if people go looking but I agree they are hard to find.

Only 1% are non-believers of Fairtrade. In the context of wine this is surprising, when you consider that Fairtrade is supposed to be "a better deal for third world producers" but Fairtrade wines come mainly from Argentina and South Africa which I have never thought of as third world countries and, while there are levels of deprivation in Chile, it too is not really third world.

Finally I doubt the 31% of people who said they bought fairtrade regularly! If this was true surely there would be more than 3 Fairtrade wines at my local Tesco? All in all I think the poll says more about how people think they should behave rather than what they actually do.

The poll had 83 entries.

The green debate and climate change are hot topics in the wine industry. Have you changed the way you buy wine to help reduce your carbon footprint?

Poll ran February 2008

Comment by Chris Scott:
With 57% of people saying they don't think about wine in relation to climate change it shows there is much work to do. Wine's CO2 foot print is 0.1% of total man made CO2 emissions. This may sound low, but wine is the canary in the mine, that is, wine will feel climate change before many other agricultural products. It is therefore essential that wine takes the lead with climate change. There is demand for this information, with 24% of people wanting to know more about the CO2 footprint in wine, it looks like education is very important and acheivable. The problem is that while many in the wine trade want to take the lead, getting internationally recognised standards to measure CO2 is slow going. But progress is being made and soon Australia, New Zealand and California will have an agreed method of measuring their CO2 footprint. This will help the 15% who already try to buy environmentally-friendly wines.

The poll had 95 entries

How confident are you when it comes to choosing wine?

Poll ran January 2008

Comment by Chris Scott:
29% of the UK wine drinkers we surveyed are comfortable buying wines, pretty good considering the given the huge and confusing array of wines available here. But another way to look at it is 71% of people want to know more or are even opting out of purchasing because it is too hard. Wine still looks like an industry that needs more consumer education.

The poll had 89 entries

When you are purchasing a bottle of wine which of the following is most important to you?

Poll ran December 2007

Comment by Chris Scott:
The results were a bit surprising, with only 6% of people saying price is the most important. This does fly in the face of the trade press. Surprisingly the brand name also accounts for only 8% with the wine being right for the occasion being the most important.

I think there is some correlation between different answers. For example many people would look at Australia as the country but it is marketed almost as brand Australia. Awards appear as the least important. I think this is partly to do with consumers not knowing which awards are important and which are not. In the UK there are three key wine awards, IWC IWSC and Decanter, but many people are probably not aware of these, let alone understand how the trophy and gold awards are dished out. I think Simon Waghorn (winemaker) best described it in the UK Wine Show 57.

The poll had 89 entries

The UK Government advises drinking no more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day for men and 2-3 units for women. A unit is 8g of alcohol. Would you say you regularly...

Poll ran November 2007

Comment by Chris Scott:
The results of the poll surprised us a little showing that over half of you are drinking at what the UK government consider to be 'sensible' or lower levels. That said 32% of you drink above the government guidelines. For more information on sensible drinking levels click here.

The poll had 94 entries

Would you buy an expensive wine in a lightweight bottle?

Poll ran October 2007

Comment by Chris Scott:
It was a surprise that 55% have never noticed the weight of a bottle, especially given that bottles range in weight from 400gr to 900g - almost 0.5Kg. But this bodes well for the trade who are trying to reduce the weight of a bottle. For more information on the environmental aspects of wine bottles click here.

The poll had 140 entries

Should alcohol units and calories be declared on the front labels of wine?

Poll ran September 2007

Comment by Chris Scott:
Surprisingly 77% want alcohol units on wine bottles and 39% are in favour of showing the calories too. With 39% also wanting calories there is definitely a case for more information on the front of wine bottles.

The poll had 62 entries

What colour is White Zinfandel?

Poll ran August 2007

Comment by Chris Scott:
The question was asked because of a news story we covered. The EU is banning the name White Zinfandel because it could mislead consumers. From our results there are 15% who are unsure the wine is in fact a rosé, however they weren't looking at a bottle of pink wine when they voted!