Traveling Through the World of Wine

The weekly quiz is provided by the Globalist, a daily online feature service that covers issues and trends in globalization. The nonpartisan organization provides commercial services and nonprofit educational features.

QUESTION

The oldest winery was discovered in Armenia and dates back to 4,000 B.C. Some 6,000 years later, 242 million hectoliters (hl) of it was consumed worldwide in 2016. We wonder: In which country of the world do people consume the most wine?

ANSWER

A. China B. United States C. France D. Italy

A. China is not correct.

In many parts of the world, the land area under cultivation as wine vineyards has been declining. The biggest exception is China, which now has the second-largest land area devoted to vineyards of any country around the world (847,000 hectares, or 3,270 square miles). Only Spain still has more vineyard cultivation (975,000 hectares, or 3,764 square miles) than China. Spain is also the world’s biggest wine exporter, with a global market share of 22%, according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). On a worldwide basis, wine exports amounted to $32.4 billion in 2016, with a volume of 104.1 million hl — or 39% of wine produced globally — being sold abroad. In terms of total wine consumption, China currently ranks in fifth place. Chinese wine consumption, which totaled 17.3 million hl in 2016, is growing fast, increasing by nearly 7% over the previous year.

B. United States is correct.

The United States is the largest consumer of wine worldwide in absolute terms. Wine consumption in the United States reached 31.8 million hl in 2016. The United States has been in the global lead since it surpassed France in 2012. It surpassed Italy to become the world’s second-largest consumer of wine before 2010. About 42% of U.S. wine is consumed by millennials, currently the youngest (and largest) generation of American adults, according to the Wine Market Council. On average, these 20something and 30something drinkers were consuming two cases per person per year as of 2015. Some of the new wine consumption is attributed to increased consumption by women in the United States. The U.S. has the sixth-largest land area under cultivation for vineyards in the world (at 443,000 hectares, or 1,710 square miles). It also has the third-largest such area of any non-European country, after China and Turkey.

C. France is not correct.

It may come as a surprise to many that France is not the world’s leading consumer of wine, given its cultural association. France was in the global lead until 2012, but now ranks in second place. People in France consumed 27 million hl of wine in 2016. Although that represents a sizable volume – the equivalent of 1,080 Olympic-size, 50-meter long swimming pools at a two-meter depth – wine consumption in France has been declining for several years. That is particularly evident with regard to per capita French wine consumption. While second-ranked in the world, at 51.8 liters in 2015, that is down close to 30% from the 71.9 liter level consumed in 2000.

D. Italy is not correct.

Italy, with a total wine consumption of 22.5 million hl in 2016, was the global runner-up behind France until 2009-10. It now ranks in third place. Per capita wine consumption in Italy, also third-ranked in the world, was 41.5 liters in 2015. That is down almost 35% from the 63.1 liter level reached in 2000. Global market leader Spain, along with France and Italy, collectively account for 55.3% of the global wine exports in 2016. Spanish wine tends to find demand among less affluent buyers (and countries), particularly as non-bottled bulk imports. In contrast, French and Italian wines tend to fetch a higher price than Spanish wines on the world market. France has the third-largest land area in the world under cultivation for vineyards (785,000 hectares, or 3,030 square miles) after Spain and China. Italy has the fourth-largest worldwide — and the third-largest in Europe (690,000 hectares, or 2,664 square miles).