Forget The Cheeseboard – Kiwis Say Prime Minister Is Their Perfect Wine Match!

When it comes to who we’d most like to accompany our glass of wine and gossip session, you can forget the rugby hunks and celebrities – it’s Prime Minister John Key that Kiwis would most like to ring in the New Year with!

The finding was released today as part of the Mud House Wine Survey* – an independent study which looked at New Zealanders’ attitudes towards the consumption of wine. Almost one in three (32%) Kiwis selected the Prime Minister as their preferred person to share a glass of vino and a chat. This sentiment increased with age and was the strongest preference among males. Graham Henry was the next popular choice with 13% of the male vote saying they’d love to chew the fat with the rugby coach.

Females were divided between the Prime Minister and actor Robyn Malcolm as the person they’d most like to share good wine and good conversation with, while TV star Jacquie Brown was the next popular choice with 11% of the vote saying they’d enjoy a laugh and glass of wine with the talented comedian and actor.

The respondents also showed that despite our reputation as a rugby, racing and beer nation we really do love our wine, with seven out of ten (71%) of us having a preference for either red or white varieties.

It seems that men are more partial to a glass of red with more than one third (36%) saying they prefer this variety, compared to less than a quarter (24%) of women. Half of women (50%) indicated a preference for white wine compared to men, with less than a third (31%) saying they enjoyed white.

Kiwis are also wine sophisticates – with nearly half of the respondents (46%) agreeing that the choice of wine can make or break a meal! We’re also loyal to Kiwi winemakers when it comes to choice, with two thirds of us (66%) saying we’d prefer to buy New Zealand wines over international brands.

The most popular wine variety with Kiwi palates was Sauvignon Blanc, with 42% of us listing it as our drink of choice. This was followed by a crisp Chardonnay with 30%, Merlot 28%, gutsy Pinot Noir (27%), Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon both on 25% and the summery Riesling on 24%.