Wine drinker demographics vary sharply by gender, age, education, and household income. In Gallup’s 2021 survey, wine was the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage for 31% of U.S. drinkers, with higher shares among women, older adults, college graduates, and higher-income households. Older NIAAA figures also show how wine types differed across demographic groups in 1992.
Table of contents
- Current U.S. wine preference
- Gender differences
- Age differences
- Education and income
- Regional patterns
- Wine types and demographic groups in 1992
- Race, ethnicity, and relationship status
Current U.S. wine preference
Gallup’s 2021 survey measured the alcoholic beverage respondents said they consumed most frequently. It did not measure every wine occasion or the total amount of wine consumed. Within that measure, 31% of U.S. drinkers selected wine. The comparable Gallup figure was 30% in 2019.
The 2021 result provides a useful baseline for describing the wine drinker profile:
- 49% of women drinkers said wine was their most frequent alcoholic beverage.
- 15% of men drinkers said wine was their most frequent alcoholic beverage.
- 22% of drinkers ages 18 to 34 selected wine.
- 28% of drinkers ages 35 to 54 selected wine.
- 42% of drinkers ages 55 and older selected wine.
- 41% of college graduates selected wine.
- 24% of non-college graduates selected wine.
- 38% of drinkers in households earning $100,000 or more selected wine.
- 28% of drinkers in households earning $40,000 to $99,999 selected wine.
- 24% of drinkers in households earning under $40,000 selected wine.
These figures describe the share within each demographic group choosing wine as their most frequent beverage. They should not be read as the percentage of all wine drinkers who belong to each group.
Gender differences
Gender is one of the largest differences in the Gallup results. In 2021, wine was the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage for 49% of women drinkers, compared with 15% of men drinkers. Gallup reported a similar pattern in 2019: 45% of women drinkers selected wine, while 15% of men did so.
The two survey years show the same direction but different overall levels. The women’s figure was 4 percentage points higher in 2021 than in 2019, while the men’s figure was unchanged at 15%. Because the question concerns the beverage consumed most frequently, the results indicate preference position rather than volume, frequency of every drink, or wine-only participation.
The older NIAAA Table 1-13 used a different measure: the types of alcohol current drinkers reported drinking during the past year in 1992. Among male current drinkers, 46.70% reported regular wine, 7.67% wine cooler, 2.10% fortified or combination wine, and 43.06% no wine. Among female current drinkers, the corresponding figures were 56.70%, 16.73%, 3.66%, and 22.41%.
The NIAAA table therefore shows higher reported participation in each listed wine category among women than among men, while Gallup’s newer measure shows a much higher share of women naming wine as their most frequent beverage. The measures and years are not directly interchangeable.
Age differences
Wine preference increased with age in both Gallup survey years. In 2021, 22% of drinkers ages 18 to 34 said wine was their most frequent alcoholic beverage. The share rose to 28% among those ages 35 to 54 and 42% among those 55 and older.
Gallup’s 2019 figures followed the same progression, though the percentages were lower for the two younger groups: 16% among drinkers ages 18 to 34, 24% among those ages 35 to 54, and 44% among those 55 and older. The oldest group’s result was therefore 2 percentage points higher in 2019 than in 2021, while the younger groups were 6 and 4 points lower, respectively.
The NIAAA’s 1992 past-year measure adds detail across narrower age bands:
| Age group of current drinkers | Regular wine | Wine cooler | Fortified or combination wine | No wine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 37.16% | 23.01% | 3.11% | 36.21% |
| 25–44 | 49.84% | 11.87% | 2.84% | 34.96% |
| 45–64 | 58.55% | 5.21% | 2.34% | 33.51% |
| 65 and older | 59.47% | 2.29% | 2.30% | 35.39% |
Within that 1992 table, regular-wine reporting increased from 37.16% among 18-to-24-year-old current drinkers to 59.47% among those 65 and older. Wine cooler reporting moved in the opposite direction, from 23.01% to 2.29%. These are historical estimates for a past-year category question, not current consumption forecasts.
Education and income
Education and income both show a positive association with wine as the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage in Gallup’s data. In 2021, 41% of college graduates selected wine, compared with 24% of non-college graduates. By household income, the shares were 38% for $100,000 or more, 28% for $40,000 to $99,999, and 24% for under $40,000.
Gallup’s 2019 education breakdown was more detailed. Wine was the most frequent beverage for 48% of postgraduate drinkers, 34% of college graduates, 30% of people with some college, and 16% of people with no college. The 2019 income results were 35% for households earning $100,000 or more, 27% for $40,000 to $100,000, and 23% for under $40,000.
| Gallup demographic category | 2019 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| College graduates | 34% | 41% |
| Highest reported income group | 35% | 38% |
| Middle income group | 27% | 28% |
| Lowest reported income group | 23% | 24% |
The category definitions are not identical in every comparison. For example, the 2019 income middle band was $40,000 to $100,000, while the 2021 band was $40,000 to $99,999. The table is therefore a descriptive comparison of the reported survey categories, not a calculation of a trend rate.
The 1992 NIAAA table shows an even wider education contrast for regular wine. Among current drinkers with 11 years of education or less, 26.05% reported regular wine and 62.40% reported no wine in the past year. Among current drinkers with 16 or more years of education, 72.79% reported regular wine and 16.89% reported no wine. The same table recorded wine cooler at 9.11% and fortified or combination wine at 2.06% for the lower-education group, compared with 7.15% and 2.58% for the higher-education group.
Regional patterns
Gallup’s 2019 survey reported regional differences in the share of drinkers naming wine as their most frequent alcoholic beverage. Wine was selected by 32% of drinkers in the East, 23% in the Midwest, 30% in the South, and 33% in the West.
The West had the highest reported share at 33%, followed closely by the East at 32%. The South was 30%, while the Midwest was 23%. These figures describe geographic survey groups for 2019 only. The supplied Gallup figures do not provide a comparable regional breakdown for 2021, so no newer regional change can be established from these results.
Wine types and demographic groups in 1992
Across all U.S. current drinkers ages 18 and older in the NIAAA 1992 table, 50.67% reported regular wine during the past year. The table also recorded 11.27% for wine cooler, 2.72% for fortified or combination wine, and 34.86% for no wine.
The historical figures varied by race and ethnicity. Among White current drinkers, 53.09% reported regular wine, 11.00% wine cooler, 2.54% fortified or combination wine, and 32.94% no wine. Among Black current drinkers, the figures were 29.74%, 14.92%, 4.15%, and 50.43%, respectively.
Among American Indian or Alaska Native current drinkers, 28.10% reported regular wine, 10.57% wine cooler, and 59.13% no wine; the table did not provide a fortified-or-combination percentage in the supplied figures. Among Asian/Pacific Islander current drinkers, the corresponding figures were 46.31% regular wine, 11.34% wine cooler, 5.57% fortified or combination wine, and 35.08% no wine.
Among Hispanic current drinkers, 40.42% reported regular wine, 10.40% wine cooler, 0.99% fortified or combination wine, and 47.52% no wine. Among non-Hispanic current drinkers, the figures were 51.47%, 11.34%, 2.86%, and 33.88%.
These historical categories should be treated as reported survey classifications, not explanations of why groups differed. The NIAAA table does not establish causes, and its 1992 measurement period is substantially older than the Gallup surveys.
Race, ethnicity, and relationship status
The 1992 NIAAA table also reported wine categories by relationship status. Among married current drinkers, 53.64% reported regular wine, 9.58% wine cooler, 2.54% fortified or combination wine, and 33.82% no wine. Among current drinkers living with someone as if married, the figures were 45.03%, 11.82%, 2.77%, and 40.16%.
Widowed current drinkers reported 51.71% regular wine, 4.86% wine cooler, 3.47% fortified or combination wine, and 39.35% no wine. Divorced current drinkers reported 50.92%, 10.10%, 2.20%, and 36.15%. Separated current drinkers reported 40.11%, 12.71%, 3.26%, and 42.69%.
Among never-married current drinkers, 45.19% reported regular wine, 16.56% wine cooler, 3.22% fortified or combination wine, and 34.49% no wine. In this historical table, the highest regular-wine percentage among the listed relationship groups was 53.64% for married current drinkers, while the highest wine-cooler percentage was 16.56% for never-married current drinkers.
Taken together, the available statistics describe several recurring contrasts: wine was more often the most frequent beverage among women than men, older than younger drinkers, college graduates than non-college graduates, and higher-income than lower-income households in Gallup’s 2019 and 2021 measures. The NIAAA 1992 table adds historical detail on wine types and other demographic categories, but its different question and measurement period should remain explicit when interpreting the results.