Women are more likely to buy and enjoy wine if the bottle looks 'feminine'

It may have a floral bouquet but it seems flowers on wine labels also make women more likely to buy the bottle, research shows.

A feminine design such as a woman holding a bunch of blooms also made female shoppers think it would offer a better taste and drinking experience than labels such as a bulldog with a spiked collar.

Women buy 80 per cent of the wine sold in the UK and in recent years many brands have designed packaging to directly appeal to them, although gender marketing remains a controversial topic.

Researchers at Washington State University, in the US, found women saw labels featuring stags, wolves or men as masculine, and those with cute animals, flowers or women as feminine. Images of grapes or castles were seen as neutral.

Assistant Professor Ruiying Cai said: "We found feminine cues speak to women consumers."

She added: "They have more favourable attitudes towards the label and wine itself. They also expected their overall sensory experience to be better and they were more likely to purchase."