Wine drinkers genuinely prefer the taste of cheaper wines rather than exclusive expensive vintages

When it comes to wine Brits like to sniff out bargain and most will not pay more than £6 for a bottle, research reveals | Mail Online:

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I doubt that things are much different in Australia!

Most Britons refuse to pay more than £6 for a bottle of wine while only one in three can name a single grape variety, it is claimed.

The shift to cheap plonk has brought claims that Britain, which imports more wine than any other nation, is effectively dumbing down as a wine nation.

Some 80 per cent of all wine sold in the UK sells for less than £6, which leaves very little profit for the producers once tax – at 60 per cent - and shipping is taken out of the equation.

Today, just 7 per cent of us are prepared to part with more than £10 for a bottle of wine, according to research by drinks specialist Harpers.

The research found that a third cannot name a single grape type and only four per cent can name more than 10. Overall, women were far less knowledgeable than men.

It might be assumed that the reason most people opt for cheap wine is a result of a five year cost of living squeeze, coupled with confusion and ignorance about what tastes good.

However, there is some research to suggest that a nation raised on big brands like Jacobs Creek, Blue Nun and Piat D’Or genuinely prefer the taste of cheaper wines rather than exclusive expensive vintages.

A study found that eight in ten people in blind taste tests preferred a bottle of wine costing £4.99 over a £19.99 option which was made from the same grapes.

Six in ten thought the £4.99 version was just so delicious that it must be the more expensive of the two, according to research by the London Wine Academy.