New data has told the Ideal Wine Company team that France has been displaced as the largest wine producer in the world. So who’s taken their crown?
Wine capital
France is regarded as the most important wine making region in the world. Our neighbours across the English Channel have developed a reputation for creating superior vintages, especially in the regions of Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy. If you want to experience an outstanding Burgundy, you should purchase the Chambertin Potel 2005 from the Ideal Wine Company.
It shouldn’t surprise you to learn, then, that France was the most prolific maker of wine in the world in 2014. Statistics from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) suggests that French wine production will increase by 1.2%, to 47.4 million hectolitres, in 2015.
New champion
This means, however, that France will no longer hold the title of the largest wine producer in the world. That honour will go to their neighbour to the South-East, Italy. Bloomberg reported that the OIV’s figures indicated that Italian wine production will increase 10%, to 48.9 hectolitres, this year.
The Organisation revealed that this impressive growth will be spurred by the rebounding fortunes of Prosecco and Chianti, two of the peninsula-nation’s most famous wine products. Carla di Paola, Italy’s representative with the OIV commented that “wine is part of our tradition, being number one is important.”
Rough numbers
The OIV’s numbers went on to show that the Northern Hemisphere is set to enjoy strong wine production figures this year. Their projections indicate that Spain will be the third largest wine produced in the world; the Iberian nation’s wine production, however, will drop 4.2% to 36.6 million hectolitres in 2015. Meanwhile the US’ wine production will rise 0.5%, to 22.1 million, by the end of the year.
Jean-Marie Aurand, director general at the OIV was quick to point out in a meeting with reporters, that these figures are only rough. Aurand said that “we’re only just finishing the harvests in the Northern Hemisphere, so these numbers are preliminary;” we won’t have access to more exact figures for a long while yet.
Buy Italian wine
The OIV’s numbers, rough as they are at this stage, have shown us that Italian wine is incredibly popular right now. If you want to learn why, you should buy the Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT 1990, a phenomenal Italian vintage, from the Ideal Wine Company, and try some for yourself!
