Wine Import

The biggest net exporter of wine is Italy, followed by Spain, France, Chile and Australia.

The biggest net importing country of wine is the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Russia, the United States and China. Germany and the United Kingdom are also among the top exporting countries, but while Germany is mostly exporting their own produce, the United Kingdom functions rather like a hub.

The world’s annual consumption of wine is almost 250 million hectoliters. That corresponds to the volume of 10,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

The United States accounts for 30 million hectoliters and is the world’s largest market for wine – a position it took over from France in 2013. However, with an annual consumption per capita of around 10 liters the United States has a lower consumption per capita than almost all other wine- producing countries.     China is the world’s fifth largest market for wine at almost 18 million hectoliters per year but the country’s annual consumption per capita is still modest at 1.3 liters.

Wine is produced commercially in more than 70 countries. Three of them account for almost half of the world’s production: France, Italy and Spain. The world’s annual production is around 270 million hecto litres or almost 27 million tonnes.  Vineyards with wine grapes cover an area of around 54,000 square kilo meters (21,000 square miles) – corresponding to 8 million football (soccer) fields.

Red varieties make up around 60% of the grapes in the world’s production of wine. 15 varieties account for half of the world’s plantings of wine grapes. Half of the wine exported from the Southern hemisphere to Europe and North America is shipped in bulk, and bottled or packed in bag-in-boxes upon arrival.