New Survey Pairs Wine With the Personalities, Prospective Dates and Favorite Occasions of Single Men and Women Nationwide

New Survey Pairs Wine With the Personalities, Prospective Dates and Favorite Occasions of Single Men and Women Nationwide

Research Indicates That the Characteristics of Australian Wines Match What Single Americans Want in a Romantic Partner

NEW YORK, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Australian Wine Bureau and Match.com, the global leader in online dating, today released key findings from their recently commissioned Zoomerang survey of single Americans, revealing their attitudes, perceptions and preferences toward wine and romance. The survey results were released in conjunction with Australian Wine Bureau's Seventh Annual Australia Day Harvest Festival in New York.

Match.com polled more than 2,300 single men and women nationwide and found that 62 percent believe that their date's choice of beverage provides insight into their lifestyle, and 52 percent felt that it is indicative of their personality.

"A lot of what we understand about a person is communicated non-verbally," explains Match.com dating expert, Kristin Kelly. "People often make quick assumptions based on how they've interpreted these non-verbal cues, and our research confirms that the type of beverage we choose is no exception to this rule."

Single Americans overwhelmingly choose wine to reflect their personalities and lifestyles on the all-important first date over any other beverage; including beer, specialty cocktails, sparkling water and soda. Specifically, single people are two times more likely to order wine over a specialty cocktail or soda and four times more likely to order wine instead of beer. More than seven in 10 survey respondents (72 percent) agree that knowledge about wine makes a member of the opposite sex more attractive.

When asked what wine-inspired characteristic best describes their ideal partner, Americans responded that they are most looking for someone who is fun (63 percent), a trait respondents felt best described Australian wines over any other United States' import. Accordingly, singles chose wines from Australia as the imported wine that best reflects their style of partner with nearly 64 percent indicating they would be interested in dating someone from Australia.

"Australia is typically associated with adventure, excitement and romance, so there is no better way to communicate these qualities than by ordering an Australian wine," said Jan Stuebing, director of Australian Wine Bureau. "And selecting an Australian wine to complement every stage of romance, from the first date, to the wedding day and then throughout life together, is easy because Australia produces great wines for every palate, wallet, and occasion."

Personality perceptions associated with the top U.S. imported wine countries:

-- Ordering a wine from Australia conveys the message that a person is
adventurous (62 percent) and fun (32 percent).
-- A person that drinks French wine is viewed as pretentious (76 percent)
and high-maintenance (65 percent).
-- Sexy (40 percent) and stylish (37 percent) were personality traits used
to describe a person who orders a wine from Italy.

Additional survey findings:

-- The type of drink someone orders has the potential to pique the
interest of their prospective partners. When asked which person they
would be the most interested in meeting, respondents overwhelmingly
chose someone who orders wine from Australia (53 percent) over someone
who orders a vodka from Russia (18 percent), a beer from Belgium (15
percent) or a Port from Portugal (14 percent).
-- Eighty-three percent of singles agree that a glass of wine can make an
already special moment even more romantic.
-- Ordering a glass of wine for that special occasion does not have to be
expensive. Fifty-nine percent of women and 47 percent of men are not
willing to spend more than $25 on a bottle of wine on a first date.
-- Overall, men were more likely than women to indicate that they have a
great knowledge of wine.

Survey Methodology


The results of the Match.com/Zoomerang survey were conducted online with a random sample of 2,300 singles. The error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

About Australian Wine Bureau

The Australian Wine Bureau (AWB) is an industry sponsored trade organization that provides information and education on Australian wines to the public. The AWB organizes tastings, seminars, promotional materials and educational programs for wine professionals and consumers throughout the USA. Based out of Adelaide, South Australia, there are AWB offices in New York, London, The Hague, Toronto and Tokyo.

The mission statement of the AWB/USA reads: To create new consumers for Australian wines through educational programs, events and opportunities that enhance the reputation and quality image of Australian wines in the USA, and increase the understanding and appreciation of their regional, varietal and stylistic diversity.

About Australia Day Harvest Festival

Australia Day Harvest Festival is celebrated in conjunction with Australia Day, the national holiday commemorating the January 26, 1788 arrival of the First Fleet into Botany Bay and Australia's first settlement. The Harvest Festival marks the beginning of the year's vintage and the start of grape picking in the warmer wine regions of Australia.

In an effort to educate American consumers about Australia's wines, wine industry, wine regions and brand availability in the U.S., the Australian Wine Bureau holds an annual Harvest Festival inviting guests to try over 300 Australian wines, meet winemakers and discover the diversity and quality of Australian wines. Mini master classes conducted by winemakers on special subjects also educate guests about Australia and its wines and provide them with a taste of some of Australia's finest offerings.

About Match.com

Match.com is the world's biggest online dating and personals property, according to the November 2004 global ranking of the Personals category by industry-leading independent measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. Match.com operates leading subscription-based online dating sites in 32 countries, in 18 languages and spanning six continents. The site has more than 15 million members globally. Since its launch in 1995, Match.com has led the way in providing adults worldwide with a fun, private and secure environment for meeting each other and finding meaningful relationships. Based on resignation survey data, Match.com calculates that more than 200,000 Match.com members met the person they were seeking on the site in 2003 alone. Match.com powers online dating on MSN across Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia (NineMSN) and Latin America and is the premier provider of personals for Love@AOL. Match.com is an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI).


Source: Australian Wine Bureau

CONTACT: Kelly Krueger, +1-415-248-3415, or kkrueger@webershandwick.com,
or Margaux Vega, +1-415-248-3421, or mvega@webershandwick.com, both of Weber
Shandwick, for Australian Wine Bureau


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