UK drinkers switching from beer to wine
Malcolm Gluck announces that the British have declared that wine is "vivacious, fruity" and inexpensive, while beer is boring, drunk by "losers and sadsacks".
It's an interesting change, one mirrored by Australians, though it seems like beer companies are in no danger of losing their market.
Wine has become predominant throughout Australian culture; beer is what the blokes drink in the pub, but everyone seems to know a little about wine here, and dinner parties come with bottles and bottles of wine.
Gluck states a surprising statistic:
"50 years ago only 5% of the nation drank wine. Now it is nearer six times that, pubs struggle to sell beer, and the amount of wine imported keep on rising. Why? Well, beer is only drunk by losers and sadsacks, unsexy people who care nothing for their minds or their bodies."
and then:
"When was the last time you heard a beer drinker pass a witty remark? Beer drinkers are also terrible lovers, awful husbands, and untidy flatmates."
Yeah! Untidy flatmates!
One thing that sound a little tragic is that the young generation of wine drinkers are more likely to buy 'fun' wines, like cheekily labelled vino from Australian or California, instead of stuffy French wines with names that take more than two lines.
I'm not saying that wine shouldn't be fun - but there's another thing: 'fun' wines are really strong-tasting and strong in alcohol content, whereas truly excellent wines can be subtle and very finely balanced.
Still, I'm encouraged by the move to drinking wine - it's a wine that goes with food, and many cultures like to pair their wines with wonderful cuisine. The push towards wine in Australia suggests that Australians are enjoying a wider variety of cuisines, moving away from the Four-and-Twenties...
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