Wine taste shows your vintage

Sipping a glass of full-bodied red while out may give away more than just your preference in wine, new research claims.

The type of wine you drink, and the country which produced it, provide a profile of how old you are and the life you lead.

A glass of pricey New Zealand white will probably indicate you are young and single, but ordering a glass of Spanish or French red reflects the taste of middle age and beyond.

The study, by marketing consultancy Wine Intelligence, found that young people who are unmarried will spend more on wine than at any other stage of life. Those in their twenties and thirties are far more likely to buy wines on impulse.

Marriage, however, changes this. As soon as couples wed or move in together, unusual wines are tried during their nights in.

However, the survey of 1,000 wine-drinking adults across Britain found that the arrival of children causes parents to cut their spending. Although the amount of wine new parents drink is still high, the exhaustion of looking after children means they opt for simple choices. Many will choose cheap labels they have heard of from supermarkets. Californian and French wines are the most popular.

Parents of children aged between six and 20 tend to favour German and French wines. Parents whose children have left home move onto Spanish wines. Childless married couples choose Spanish and French wines. The dawn of middle age evolves a new type of drinker - the wine buff. About 60 per cent of this age group will snub the range in their supermarket and head for specialist wine shops or even go across the Channel to stock up.

Divorcees tend to drink less and buy cheaper wines and do not see wine in terms of self image. French white appears to be their favourite.

But the most enjoyable time in life to drink wine seems to lie with the over-sixties. They do not binge drink but settle for a daily glass or two of French red.