3 in 10 British adults make wine clangers

Published: 10 September, 2010

Three out of ten British adults pretend to be wine buffs but make basic mistakes in pubs and restaurants ? such as mispronouncing Sémillon ? according to a new poll.

Almost nine out of ten of those polled said they thought wine was shrouded in snobbery.

A survey of 3,000 adults, commissioned by managed pub and restaurant chain Chef & Brewer, owned by Punch Taverns, showed 16% of people often order expensive wine for appearance's sake, despite not knowing what they're actually drinking.

Common faux pas include asking for a slice of lemon in their wine, complaining the waiter hasn't poured enough when an initial tasting glasss is poured, or getting the names of brands or wines wrong.

Chef & Brewer's wine purchasing manager Duncan Macdonald said: "It's a shame that people think that there is a snobbery that exists with wine and I would hate for that to discourage people from enjoying it."

The 134-strong chain is running its annual wine festival until September 15, and Macdonald said the festival was about "de-mystifying wine and breaking down any pre-conceived barriers".

Other findings included 5% of drinkers spilling wine when attempting to swill it around their glass and one in 20 complaining that wine is corked not realizing it came from a screw-top bottle.

The suvrey found the top five mispronounced wines were: