| The story of drinking habits in Britain over the last | | | | The the number of British vineyards being relatively |
| twenty years has been all about the rise in the | | | | small, wine drunk in this country is largely imported. |
| popularity of wine. Can brewers tempt people to | | | | If you at what is being drunk in pubs and homes up |
| enjoy a glass of beer with their dinner, rather than | | | | and down the country then you're likely to notice a |
| wine? | | | | large amount of wine that's been imported from the |
| When you think about alcohol consumption in the UK | | | | likes of Italy, France and the New World producers, |
| you may well tend to concentrate on the idea of | | | | including Australia, South Africa and Chile. |
| drinking a nice pint of beer in a traditional British pub. | | | | Wine seems to appeal to women in particular. It's a |
| Pubs are a fundamental part of the landscape of the | | | | drink that can be enjoyed with a meal, or which can |
| country and they're always closely associated with | | | | be refreshing on a summer evening. In this context, |
| beer drinking. | | | | how can the breweries hope to compete? |
| This traditional scene has changed considerably in the | | | | The answer must lie in the number of beers that are |
| past couple of decades. Brewers of real ales have | | | | currently to be found on the market. With so many |
| faced increasing competition from wine and lagers. | | | | varieties, offering so many different taste |
| Now, some are concerned about the possible impact | | | | experiences, there are beers to suit all occasions. |
| of the smoking ban too. | | | | Just like wines, some beers are perfectly suited to |
| How are breweries going to hit back? Efforts from | | | | accompanying red meat dishes. Others go better |
| organisations such as the Campaign for Real Ale | | | | with poultry and fish. |
| (Camra) have centred on emphasising how great it is | | | | Experiment with the various beers on the market - |
| to drink traditional British ales. They would question | | | | you're likely to be pleasantly surprised by what you |
| why anyone would want to opt for a tasteless | | | | find. |
| imported lager when there are so many better | | | | Next time you fancy a drink with your dinner, why |
| options available. | | | | not opt for beer rather than wine? |
