IT SEEMS that women wear the trousers when it comes to choosing the wine.

A recent survey has found that women buy eight out of ten bottles drunk at home. And if anyone thinks that means opting for a lightweight Pinot Grigio or Californian rose, they’d be wrong – a majority of women are also said to prefer red wine.

The world of beer, too, is no longer a male bastion. A new crusade to persuade women to confess their hidden passion for ale has just been launched.

The BitterSweet Partnership aims to persuade all those guilty women out there that it really is OK to harbour the odd craving for a pint of best.

As supporter Janet Street- Porter says: “Beer’s had a male image for too long and it’s hard to think of another business where 50 per cent of the population is ignored.”

And Midlands brewer Harriet Easton is understandably keen to get more women drinking her beer.

“Most women have grown up NOT drinking beer,” she says. “So it will take time to address this and alter beer’s current status for women.”

The sooner the better. That wine survey – by exhibition organiser Vinexpo – suggests that women are knowledgeable, self-confident and selective about what they choose.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Women physically tend to have more taste buds on the tongue – they actually do have better taste than men!