12 May Wine Producers VS Wine Consumers – Alice Heather
Are the world’s largest wine producers also the largest wine consumers?
It’s no secret that the consumption of wine has changed since the turn of the new millennium. What once was an alcoholic beverage drunk mainly in Western societies with Christian beliefs underlying its consumption, in 2017 millions of bottles are drunk everyday around the world. The types of wine consumed has changed and the consumption of quality wine is no longer restricted to festive occasions.
In my quest to find out whether the world’s largest wine producers are also the countries that drink the most, I outlined key factors in which to consider. This included geographical factors such as the climate and the location of the country in conjunction of others. I also considered development of the country in terms of health, sanitation. Tradition and of course economic factors such as the export and import markets and wealth are also key.
I’ve decided to expand on interesting patterns shown in the graphic above beginning with the lowest end of the consumption spectrum – China. As the lowest consumer on my spectrum of 15 countries, China is the 6th biggest producer with 11,400 million hecto-litres produced in 2016, according to The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). The largest producing region is Yantai-Penglai. With over 140 vineyards, it produces 40% of China’s wine. In comparison to its production, consumption is minimal. Only recently as household income has increased do people tend to buy more alcohol and as a result, imported wine tends to be a status symbol associated with wealth.
In comparison, Greece doesn’t produce as much wine as it consumes, 3.92 litres per person per year according to the World Health Organisation (2016). Primarily due to the debt crisis, there is less demand for Greek wine across the world however 98% of the wine that the population in Greece drinks is infact Greek in origin. Thanks to the typical Mediterranean climate in the country, wine for the population can be produced at a low cost. Traditionally, Greeks are sociable by nature and like to socialise with alcohol. With socialising as the focus, the effects of the debt crisis meant that many people would go to wine bars instead of restaurants – a cheaper, alternative evening spent with friends and family.
Finally, onto the big drinkers and even bigger producers; Italy and France. Both countries produce over 40,000 million hecto-litres per year and are known for producing wine of great quality. In France, wine production dates to the Roman times and quickly escalated to the production of expensive wines being exported on a global scale. The prestige amongst French wine regions caused an increase in demand and price. France is also responsible for Champagne, a sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region – once associated with royalty, the wine still carries a sense of luxury. In Italy, grapes grow in almost every region of the country and there are more than one million vineyards under cultivation. Production began in Italy during Greek times, prior to French production and nowadays represents over 1/3 of global production.
