THE WORLD IS THIRSTY FOR WINE. CONSUMPTION IS UP. WHO DRINKS THE MOST WINE? FRANCE, THE USA AND ITALY. EXPORT VOLUME UP FROM 60 MILLION HECTOLITRES IN 2000 TO 99 MILLION IN 2011, REVEALS THE GERMAN "WEIN-PLUS" STUDY

Wine consumption is down in the traditional winemaking countries but in “other’’ countries people are drinking more and more wine. In 2011, 244 million hectoliters of wine were consumed worldwide, 3 more than in 2010 reveals a cross-referenced market study of consumer countries conducted by the German company Wein-Plus (www.wein-plus.eu). France was the top country in 2011 totaling 29.9 million hectoliters of wine consumed, followed by the United States (28.5 million hectoliters) and Italy (23.1) and at the foot of the podium Germany, 20 million hectoliters. And the German study revealed a trend already noted: the growing amount of wine consumed out of the traditional wine making countries. In 2000, global exports totaled 60 million hectoliters and in 2011 they reached 99 million. Italy leads in quantity, 24.2 million hectoliters exported, ahead of Spain (22.3), France (14.1) and Chile (6.6). The market is not easy, the economic crisis weighs heavily on the world, but the world is also more willing to toast with wine.