DO DRINKERS KNOW SOMETHING EVERYONE ELSE DOESN’T?

As is often discussed and widely reported, wine is growing more and more popular in the U.S. especially with younger, but legal, generations. Millennials are toting wine to parties more frequently than older adults since many of them grew up with wine-drinking, baby boomer parents, making them more willing to sample different varietals and foreign brands. According to the Wine Institute, wine consumers are “open to new experiences; follow their own path in life; are information-savvy and confident; desire intangibles, experiences and emotions; have their life priorities in order; and eschew brands as badges.”



And according to some European studies, drinkers may be smarter than the average person. A survey taken of 6,000 Londoners ranging in age from 40-68 found that drinkers – which includes people who consume anywhere from one drink to 30-plus in a given week - in general performed better on tests measuring verbal fluency and inductive reasoning. A Danish study also found that wine drinkers tend to be smarter than beer drinkers or nondrinkers. This, of course, depends on so much more than the actual beverage and has not been proven as an actual correlation. It's a classic chicken or egg correlation conundrum: are drinkers smart because they drink (and can relax more), or do smart people simply drink more. Or is there a third correlative factor, like do intelligent people earn more money are therefore can afford to drink more. Something to think about.