Production down, consumption stable, says Organization Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin

Wine consumption, in general, is substantially stable compared to the downslide in production that was actually expected, following the spring frosts and the summer drought that hit Europe. International trade, instead, is on the rise along with increases in values. This is, in a nutshell, the photograph taken by the “Conjoncture viticole mondiale”, the Organization Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, “the UN of wine”, and presented today in Paris. In 2017, 250 million hectoliters of wine and musts were produced globally; that is, 8.6% less compared to 2016, the year that will be remembered around the world as the poorest harvest in the last 60 years. Production has dropped in all the top 10 producing countries, especially in the heart of the Old World, where, in spite of alarming production decreases, still half of the world’s wine production is concentrated. Italy is the leading producer with 42.5 million hectoliters (17% less than 2016), followed by France with 36 .7 million hectoliters (19% less), and Spain with 31.1 million hectoliters (15% less). The United States is in fourth place with its wine production at 23.2 million hectoliters, followed by Argentina at 14.8, Australia at 13.7, China and South Africa at 10.8 million hectoliters, and Chile at 9.5 million hectares. In general, there will not be a scarcity of wine, as last year’s worldwide consumption was 243 million hectoliters, in line with the 2016 figure. Even though more and more countries in every part of the world are opening to wine, half of the bottles uncorked were concentrated in 5 markets. The number one market is the US, weighing for 13% of total consumption, ahead of France at 11%, then Italy, which weighs for 9%, Germany, at 8%, and China at 7%. At the same time, world wine trade grew in 2017, since 108 million hectoliters were shipped out of their country of origin, up 3.8% compared to 2016, for 30.4 billion euros (+4.8%). One of the interesting facts was that the US is the country where more wine is drunk, 31.7 million hectoliters, followed by France (27.1) and Italy (22.4), while Portugal is the country that has the highest per capita consumption, at 51.4 liters, once again ahead of France (51.2) and Italy (42.6).