Wine and Women
“While many still imagine men in the role of wine connoisseur, it is women, in fact, who have long been the leading wine purchasers and wine drinkers in the United States.” This is a quote from a piece in the Fashion Monitor of Toronto. The article comments on Leslie Sbrocco and her book Wine For Women.

Some of Sbrocco’c comments include "Women are adventurous when it comes to buying wine and are willing to try new varietals, regions and producers if they offer top quality and value," Sbrocco says. "It's not about making wine different in the bottle for women. The point is to make wine a regular part of any lifestyle."

"That includes offering ease and convenience with things such as unique bottle sizes and screwtops."

An example is the Lindemans Mini package format which the article notes - Women who've tried the new 187-ml bottle appreciate not having to open an entire standard-sized bottle of wine to have one glass, are happy to dispense with the troublesome corkscrew, and say they value the serving options that the unique bottle size offers.

Troublesome corkscrew? Screwcaps? Oh dear, Roger Scruton is unlikely to be pleased if ease and convenience end up consuming all his female wine drinking companions!

And I wonder if Jeni Port of the Sydney Morning Herald will write about the sexism involved in this pandering to the female wine drinker and whether Annie Rankin of Chalice Bridge will be quoted again.

Joking aside, it quite obvious to me that if you are part of a very competitive market that you will try to appeal to the most influential group in your market, and as Sbrocco notes “women account for sixty percent of high-end wine drinkers in the United States” and "Women focus more on the taste and style of wines rather than ratings," Sbrocco said. "But, women also tend to listen to recommendations from others, so if a wine catches on with one woman, there's a good chance her friends will at least give it a try."