Mankind has been fermenting grapes into wine for thousands of years, and today wine is consumed all over the world, alongside other beloved beverages including coffee, beer, and other forms of alcohol. Despite wine's global popularity, its production is a fairly exclusive industry. Four countries—France, Italy, Spain, and the United States—produce more than half the wine in the world, and a full 85% is produced by a small group of just 28 of the world's 193+ countries.
Top 10 Wine-Producing Countries in the World 2021 (million hectoliters)*:
| Rank | Country | Production (mhl) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 44.5 |
| 2 | Spain | 35.0 |
| 3 | France | 34.2 |
| 4 | United States | 24.1 |
| 5 | Australia | 14.2 |
| 6 | Chile | 13.4 |
| 7 | Argentina | 12.5 |
| 8 | South Africa | 10.6 |
| 9 | Germany | 8.8 |
| 10 | Portugal | 6.5 |
* 1 mhl = 100,000,000 liters, 26,400,000 gallons, or 133,000,000 bottles. Full data bank below.
Annual global production of wine averages 260-270 mha, with peak years approaching 300 (295 in 2004, 294 in 2018) and lows around 250 (255 in 2002 and 248 in 2017). While full data is still pending, 2021 may ultimately post a lower total than 2017. This is due in large part to late frosts in Italy, Spain, and especially France, which together produce roughly half of the world's total wine, as well as wildfires in California, where 85% of U.S. wine is produced.
Many of the world's leading wine producers also rank quite high on the list of countries that consume the most wine. However, population has a massive impact on consumption rankings. For example, while the United States, France, and Italy are the top three countries in terms of overall wine consumption, once the list changes to per capita consumption—as in the amount of wine a typical resident of that country drinks per year—the top slot belongs to Portugal and three heavily populated countries—the United States, China, and Russia—drop completely out of the top 10.
Top 10 Countries that Consume the Most Wine Overall - 2020 (million hectoliters):
- United States — 33.0
- France — 24.7
- Italy — 24.5
- Germany — 19.8
- United Kingdom — 13.3
- China — 12.4
- Russia — 10.3
- Spain — 9.6
- Argentina — 9.4
- Australia — 5.7
Top 10 Countries that Consume the Most Wine Per Capita - 2020 (liters):**
- Portugal — 51.9
- Italy — 46.6
- France — 46.0
- Switzerland — 35.7
- Austria — 29.9
- Australia — 27.8
- Argentina — 27.6
- Germany — 27.5
- Sweden — 27.0
- Netherlands — 24.2
** List excludes countries with less than 2 mhl total national consumption.
While total global wine consumption has dipped slightly in recent years, the industry remains healthy. In fact, wine production and consumption continues to expand in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in South America. This trend is illustrated by the presence of multiple southern countries ranking among the world's top wine exporters.
Top 15 Wine-Exporting Countries in the World 2020:
| Rank | Country | Value of Wine Exported (US$) | % of Global Wine Exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | $10 billion | 29.2% |
| 2 | Italy | $7.2 billion | 21.1% |
| 3 | Spain | $3.1 billion | 9.0% |
| 4 | Australia | $2.1 billion | 6.2% |
| 5 | Chile | $1.8 billion | 5.4% |
| 6 | United States | $1.3 billion | 3.8% |
| 7 | New Zealand | $1.3 billion | 3.8% |
| 8 | Germany | $1.0 billion | 3.0% |
| 9 | Portugal | $968 million | 2.8% |
| 10 | Argentina | $780 million | 2.3% |
| 11 | United Kingdom | $685 million | 2.0% |
| 12 | South Africa | $621 million | 1.8% |
| 13 | Netherlands | $439 million | 1.3% |
| 14 | Singapore | $368.1 million | 1.1% |
| 15 | Austria | $220.3 million | 0.6% |