(TheGuardian) - Most French people do not consider themselves knowledgeable about wine and 43% say they know nothing at all.

To the French, wine is more than just a drink. They make it, they quaff large quantities of it and they produce some of the finest in the world. It is even officially designated part of the nation's cultural and gastronomic heritage.

However, a poll suggests the wine drinkers of France know surprisingly little about one of their most celebrated symbols and trademarks.

Ask the average consumer if they prefer their vin with a perfumed or spicy bouquet, full-bodied or lighter and the response is likely to be an embarrassed shrug and a Je ne sais pas, according to a new poll.

The survey, carried out for the magazine Terre de Vins (Wine Country) published on Tuesday, asked a group of French drinkers if they considered themselves knowledgeable about wine. Of those surveyed, 71% said no and of these 43% admitted they knew nothing at all.

Only 3% suggested they were well versed in the subject and 26% said they "knew enough".

Pollsters from the company Viavoice said the research threw up interesting – if somewhat obvious – social class differences. The findings suggested those who were executive or professionals were much more likely to know something about wine than factory workers or artisans.

"This proves that learning about wine is seen as still very elitist in French society and also a feeling – real or supposed – that those households with limited purchasing power cannot afford quality wines," said a Viavoice spokesperson.

More than half of those questioned in the poll felt young drinkers should be taught about wine and how to drink in moderation.

"Faced with the binge-drinking phenomenon and the massive exposure of youngsters to alcohol, wine, which is the mark of civilisation, constitutes a healthier and more cultured alternative," added the magazine.

Rodolphe Wartel, director of Terre de Vins, told the Guardian: "In general French people think the wine world is complicated. Because behind the taste there is a whole universe, a language, the land they fear expressing an opinion about it. Our job is to show them that it is, in fact, quite simple."

He added: "What surprised us most is that 51% of people thought youngsters should learn about wine through tastings at the age of 17 to combat binge-drinking. As the legal age to drink [alcohol] is 18 this breaks something of a taboo."