World Comparisons
The total world area under vines covered 7.4 million hectares, remaining largely the same to the previous year. The latest data available shows that Spain has the largest area under vines with 969,000ha, representing 13% of the international area planted. China is closing the gap to become the second largest country by area, with 875,000ha under vines (12% globally). Australia dropped to 14th with 146,000ha under vine, representing 2% of the total world area (Table 24).
The major wine producers (Italy, France and Spain) all recorded an approximately 30% increase in production in 2018 reversing the declines in volume that occurred in the previous year. Italy produced 5,480ML of wine, with 19% market share consolidating its position as the largest wine producer in the world (Table 25). This is followed by France (4,860ML) and Spain (4,440ML).
These top three countries are responsible for 51% of wine production globally (Table 25).
Australia suffered a 6% drop to produce 1,290ML of wine (Table 25). This represents 4% of total global wine production.
Bottled wine is the most popular type of product in the international market with a trading value of €21.9 billion worldwide, equating to 5,790ML of wine. Sparkling wines have soared in both value (up 33%) and volume (up 29%) since 2014 to now generate €6.2 billion in global sales, with 930ML of wine produced. Bulk wines are worth €3.3 billion in annual sales, with 4,030ML produced globally. The international wine industry has experienced 21% growth in value terms for its products since 2014 (Table 26).
The industry has continued to strengthen with a total of 10,800ML of wine exported internationally in 2018 (Table 27). Spain is the largest exporting nation with 2,110ML of wine shipped worldwide and generating €2.9 billion to the Spanish economy. Italy exports 1,970ML (€6.1 billion), while France remains the biggest world exporter in terms of value, with €9.3 billion of exports in 2018 (Table 27). Australia has shown strong growth with export value contributing €1.8 billion with 860ML shipped internationally (Table 27).
The total value of wine exports increased for all major exporters since 2014. Australia is a standout with a staggering 45% increase in export value, with the volume of exported wine soaring by 22% over the previous four years (Table 27). The global industry as a whole observed a 23% increase in value for wine exports since 2014.
When it comes to importers of wine, Germany has maintained its position as the top importer in volume with 1,470ML of wines shipped into the country, valued at €2.6 billion. The United Kingdom is closely behind with 1,320ML imported.
The United States imported an overall 1,150ML equalling €5.3 billion in 2018. The value of the American import market has grown by 30% since 2014 with a more modest increase in volume of 7% (Table 28). This indicates that US wine consumers have increasingly moved toward imported premium wines.
China observed the most significant rise in terms of both value and volume since 2014. The country now spends 111% more (totalling €2.4 billion) on imported wine, with the total volume reaching 690ML (Table 28). With the growth of the Chinese middle class, the demand for premium wines from China is likely to continue into the future.
The United States tops wine consumption at 3,300ML, an increase of 7.6% since 2014; the US accounts for approximately 13% of world consumption. France, Italy, Germany and China round out the top five largest wine consuming nations (Table 29). Australia is the 10th largest wine consumer in the world at 600ML, up 10.7% since 2014. Portugal showed the largest increase of consumption at 29% over the same four year period, Argentina dropped in wine consumption by 15.5% to 840ML. This is likely due to several of the worst harvests in half a century as rain and pests ravaged vineyards in Argentina’s fertile Mendoza region where 70% of wine production takes place. The Argentinean industry is yet to recover from these weather events, with government mismanagement compounding the situation.
Table 24: Top countries ranked by vineyard area, 2018
| Country | Vineyard area ‘000 ha | % of world | % change from 2014 |
| Spain | 969 | 13% | -1% |
| China | 875 | 12% | 8% |
| France | 793 | 11% | 0% |
| Italy | 705 | 9% | 2% |
| Turkey | 448 | 6% | -11% |
| United States | 439 | 6% | -2% |
| Argentina | 218 | 3% | -4% |
| Chile | 212 | 3% | 0% |
| Portugal | 192 | 3% | -14% |
| Romania | 191 | 3% | 0% |
| Iran | 153 | 2% | -29% |
| India | 151 | 2% | 18% |
| Moldova | 147 | 2% | 5% |
| Australia | 146 | 2% | -5% |
| South Africa | 126 | 2% | -5% |
| World | 7,449 | 77% | -1% |
Source: OIV – 2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture
Table 25. Top producers of wine in the world, 2018 (ML)
| Country | Wine production (ML) | % of world | % change from 2017 |
| Italy | 5,480 | 19% | 29% |
| France | 4,860 | 17% | 34% |
| Spain | 4,440 | 15% | 37% |
| USA* | 2,390 | 8% | 2% |
| Argentina | 1,450 | 5% | 23% |
| Chile | 1,290 | 4% | 36% |
| Australia | 1,290 | 4% | -6% |
| Germany | 1,030 | 4% | 38% |
| South Africa | 950 | 3% | -12% |
| China | 910 | 3% | -22% |
| Portugal | 610 | 2% | -10% |
| Russian Federation | 550 | 2% | -4% |
| Romania | 510 | 2% | 18% |
| World | 29,200 | 88% | 17% |
Source: OIV – 2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture.
Table 26. World wine trade by type of product
| Product Type | Value (billion €) | % change from 2014 | Volume (ML) | % change from 2014 |
| Sparkling | 6.2 | 33% | 930 | 29% |
| Bottled | 21.9 | 19% | 5790 | 1% |
| Bulk + BiB | 3.3 | 21% | 4030 | 3% |
Source: OIV – 2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture
Table 27. Top exporters of wine in the world, 2018
| Country | Wine exports volume (ML) | % change from 2014 | Wine exports value (Billion €) | % change from 2014 |
| Spain | 2,110 | -8% | 2.9 | 15% |
| Italy | 1,970 | -4% | 6.1 | 21% |
| France | 1,410 | -1% | 9.3 | 21% |
| Chile | 930 | 15% | 1.7 | 21% |
| Australia | 860 | 22% | 1.8 | 45% |
| South Africa | 530 | 25% | 0.7 | 12% |
| Germany | 370 | -11% | 1.0 | 6% |
| United States | 350 | -14% | 1.2 | 11% |
| Portugal | 300 | 5% | 0.8 | 11% |
| Argentina | 280 | 5% | 0.7 | 7% |
| New zealand | 260 | 36% | 1.0 | 20% |
| World | 10,800 | 3% | 31.0 | 23% |
Source: OIV – 2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture.
Table 28. Top importers of wine, 2018
| Country | Wine imports volume (ML) | % change from 2014 | Wine imports value (Billion €) | % change from 2014 |
| Germany | 1,470 | -5% | 2.6 | 3% |
| United Kingdom | 1,320 | -2% | 3.5 | -2% |
| United States | 1,150 | 7% | 5.3 | 30% |
| France | 710 | 2% | 0.9 | 51% |
| China | 690 | 79% | 2.4 | 111% |
| Canada | 420 | 10% | 1.7 | 16% |
| Netherlands | 420 | 11% | 1.2 | 22% |
| Russia | 410 | -13% | 0.9 | 4% |
| Belgium | 300 | -3% | 1.0 | -2% |
| Japan | 260 | -3% | 1.4 | 17% |
| Sweden | 210 | -9% | 0.7 | 10% |
| Switzerland | 180 | -6% | 1.0 | 12% |
| World | 10,700 | 4% | 31 | 2% |
Source: OIV – 2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture.
Table 29. Top wine consuming nations, 2018
| Country | Wine consumption ML | % of world | % change from 2014 |
| USA | 3300 | 13% | 7.6% |
| France | 2680 | 11% | -2.6% |
| Italy | 2240 | 9% | 14.9% |
| Germany | 2000 | 8% | -1.5% |
| China | 1760 | 7% | 1.3% |
| United Kingdom | 1240 | 5% | -1.7% |
| Russian Federation | 1190 | 5% | 7.7% |
| Spain | 1050 | 4% | 6.7% |
| Argentina | 840 | 3% | -15.5% |
| Australia | 600 | 2% | 10.7% |
| Portugal | 550 | 2% | 29.0% |
| Canada | 490 | 2% | 4.8% |
| World | 24,600 | 73% | 2.0% |
Source: OIV – 2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture.
