Vinexpo put a series of questions to women in four Asian countries in order to identify what they had in common and what differences there were depending on whether they lived in China, Japan, Hong Kong or South Korea.
The findings are based on the answers of 2,810 women, who were all above the age of 18. The questionnaire was applied between 11 February and 9 March 2010. 48% of all women who answered the questions were less than 30 years old.
In Japan, the most mature market in Asia, 42% of the women interviewed drink wine more than twice a week.
Asian women talk about drinking wine quite openly. More than 70% of them said that they drink wine for enjoyment. For 76% of the Korean women interviewed, wine contributes to a friendly atmosphere.
More than half of Chinese women said that they chose their wine themselves, and 86% of all Asian women claimed that drinking wine is compatible with maintaining a balanced diet.
While 92% of the Japanese respondents and 74% of the Koreans interviewed chose wine for its taste, 38% of the Chinese women questioned said that they drink wine because it is good for health (while only 22% claimed to drink wine for its taste).
More than two thirds of Asian women prefer red wine.
This clear preference is displayed by 84% of Chinese women, while those in Hong Kong experiment more and the majority (62%) of the more knowledgeable about wine drink red. However, one third of the wines they drink are also white, rosé and sparkling wines.
A statement from Vinexpo said: “It can be observed that this trend is the reverse of what happened a few decades ago, when wine consumption took off in northern Europe and the United States, starting first with white wine.”
More than half the Asian women interviewed described wine as being “elegant”. 72% of Chinese female drinkers said wine was “elegant” or “the reflection of a style of living”.
Only the Japanese women (34%) reported wine to be a “traditional” product, while 38% of women in Hong Kong described it as “modern”.
