Wine is no small beer

Each Aussie quaffed an average of 30.04lt of wine in 2009-10, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. That's up almost two litres in the space of a few years.

Beer, still the drink of choice, was consumed at the rate of 103.3lt per person over the age of 15.

But the beer nation's decline continues.

The figure is a drop of more than three litres - or eight stubbies - on the 106.59lt guzzled in 2008-09.

Australian National University consumer behaviour expert John Roberts said the beer to wine trend could be explained by two factors: migration and supply.

Professor Roberts said the shift to wine began when Australia opened its doors to migrants from continental Europe post-World War II.

Subsequent waves of migrants have also found wine a more palatable beverage.

''[There has been] a very large increase in migration from cultures which historically have been large wine drinkers relative to beer drinking,'' Professor Roberts said.

''Even more recently there's been a large migration from countries that aren't big alcohol consumers, like Asia, and they'd tend more towards wine and spirits than beer.''

But rather than just opening a new market, Professor Roberts said multiculturalism had also changed the attitude of Australians of Anglo-Irish descent towards alcohol.

''It's changed culture in Australia from an ocker, blue singlet, 'She'll be right' culture, to a slightly more cosmopolitan culture.

''So Australia as a whole has had a gradual trend towards sophistication to being more of a culturally up-market society.''

Australians tastes are also flavoured by the market, with retailers pushing wine harder because the profit margins are greater.

University students Hannah Purdy and Tasfia Khan said cost was an important factor in drink choice. The pair were spotted during happy hour at the ANU Bar sharing a jug of beer this week. Ms Purdy said her alcohol intake would be 70per cent wine and 30per cent beer. Ms Khan split her drinking evenly between beer and wine, with her choice dependent on the weather and time of day.