(TheStar) - Canadians are drinking more expensive wines, but our preference has changed from French to Italian cellars, a new report says. “The Italians have been very aggressive and very efficient in the marketplace,” said Xavier de Eizaguirre, chairman of international wine and spirits exhibition Vinexpo, which commissioned the analysis by International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR). “And they have really been supported very strongly by the development and the growth of Italian cuisine worldwide.” The study, which assessed 28 producer countries and 114 wine and spirits markets, found that since 2011, Italy’s exports to Canada grew by 16 per cent, while French exports dropped nearly four per cent.