Hong Kong women's opinion towards wine

Hong Kong women say they don't know much about wine and don't consider it essential for romantic evenings. But those who indulge prefer - no surprises here - the delicate pink rose.

These are some of the findings from a recent online survey of 10,500 women in Hong Kong and four countries - France, Germany, the United States and Britain - conducted by Vinexpo, the world's biggest wine and spirits exhibition.

Of the Hong Kong respondents, seven out of 10 admit they know less about wine than men. Compare this to 67 percent of self-assured American women who claim they know as much, and 58 percent across the international survey.

Just over half of the local women trust recommendations from friends when selecting wine while three out of 10 follow the recommendations of waiters when choosing.

Despite this, they drink wine quite frequently. Seven out of 10 said they do so regularly, about the same as the French, with three out of 10 drinking wine "at least once a week."

Their tipple of choice: red over white. Only two out of 10 prefer sparkling wines.

If you're looking to woo Hong Kong women, you can skip the wining and stick to the dining.

Only four out of 10 agreed that it is "necessary" to make a romantic date go well - compared with an overall finding that 68 percent of women believe wine is important or essential.

Price matters when it comes to purchases, with 58.5 percent agreeing cost is a key consideration, compared with half of women in Britain.

And country of origin is also a consideration - more than two-thirds consider it an important factor.

In Hong Kong, women buy most of their wine in food shops and specialist retail stores.

Another new trend is enthusiasm for rose. Overall, nearly 16 percent prefer rose compared with 6 percent in 2009 - a significant increase in two years.

The survey coincides with the annual Vinexpo, which takes place from Sunday to Thursday in Bordeaux this year.

The exhibition is staged in Asia - normally Hong Kong - in alternate years. For more information, go to www.vinexpo.com.

Diogenes is caught up with this year's mad rush for bordeaux en primeur. He will be back next week.