Valentine's Day set to sparkle

Valentine's Day set to sparkle

There will be plenty of sparkle this Valentine's Day as Australians celebrate the day of romance. According to a recently conducted "Find A Reason" survey by Hardys Sir James, 80 per cent of Australians over the age of 18 will celebrate the occasion with sparkling wine.

The survey* of 4562 Australians (4024 women) found that sparkling wine was the clear favourite choice of beverage for Valentine's Day celebrations.

However, the ladies won't be drinking alone. More than half the respondents (56.5%) knew of male friends, family and partners who enjoy drinking sparkling wine, with only three percent believing sparkling wine was a 'girls' drink. And it appears more than a third of Australian males (40%) drink sparkling wine at romantic occasions.

"Sparkling wine has always been associated with celebrations. However its popularity is increasing, in part due to the growing number of high quality, good value Australian sparkling wines on offer", said Bill Hardy, Hardys Ambassador and fifth generation family member.

The survey also found more than two-thirds of respondents (67.6%) will spend around $15-$30 on a bottle of sparkling wine for Valentine's Day. Those looking to impress said they would spend more than $30 (11%), with a small number (6.8%) hoping to grab a bargain below $7 for their Valentine's Day sparkling wine.

The Sir James sparkling range includes:
· Hardys Sir James Tumbarumba Cuvee 2000 - $45
· Hardys Sir James Vintage Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2004 - $28
· Hardys Sir James Brut de Brut NV - $17
· Hardys Sir James Cuvee Brut NV - $17

For more on the Hardys Range visit www.hardys.com.au

Sparkling facts at glance

Sparkling wine first originated by accident in the Champagne region of France in the 1690s.

In 1995 Australia agreed to stop using the term Champagne for locally produced sparkling wine - only wine from the Champagne region in the northeast of France can now use this term.

Australia produces 6.7 million cases of sparkling wine each year, making it the eighth largest producer in the world.

The summer months are the best selling month for sparkling wine in Australia with sales in December generally the highest. In fact, most sparkling brands achieve around half their sales in the months from October to January.

The gas inside a bottle of sparkling wine is held at the same pressure as air inside a car tyre.

It has been estimated there are more than 49 million bubbles in each bottle of sparkling wine.


* The Hardys Sir James Find a Reason survey was conducted in December 2009 on femail.com.au