Drink straight after buying: Is the majority of wine made to be enjoyed immediately?

A friend in the wine industry said 90 per cent of all wine is consumed within 48 hours of purchase. Do they make wine to be enjoyed immediately, so people want to buy it again?

—A.C., Mona Vale, NSW

Statistics are fascinating things. They’re great for bolstering a weak argument. Former British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli is supposed to have said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” No offence to professional statisticians, but I think he meant to highlight the fact that numbers may be persuasive, but they can also be deceiving.

I’ve tried for decades to find the source of this so-called statistic with no luck, so I’ve always assumed someone just made it up. And, as you know, 73.6 per cent of
all statistics are made up on the spot. And there are many variations on the 90 per cent and the 48 hours, a sure sign, in my opinion, that this isn’t the result of serious research.

The second part of your question is easily answered, though: yes. Most wine is drunk pretty soon after it’s bought, as you can see from just observing your fellow humans.

Most wine is made to be enjoyed immediately because that’s what people want.

The most fashionable wines of the moment are sauvignon blanc (it’s not only the Kiwis who are doing this well), rosé, pinot grigio, prosecco and other cheap bubblies, none of which are intended for keeping.

And although the sales of cask – or bag-in-a-box – wine have plummeted over recent years, they’re still significant, and nobody’s stashing them in their cellar.

Most wine is made to be enjoyed immediately because that’s what people want – and giving people what they want is the best way to succeed in business.

The aim is always to send you back out to the shops to buy another bottle – although the person behind the counter is almost certainly going to suggest that instead of making 12 trips to the shop, you should probably just buy a case.

Got a drinks question for Huon Hooke?
thefullbottle@goodweekend.com.au