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The USA is the country with the largest wine consumption in the world. With a total consumption (not per capita) of 33.1 million hl, the United States is clearly ahead of France with 25.2 million hl and Italy with 24.2 million hl. This is shown by the estimate for 2021 published by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), which, with total global consumption of 236 million hl, is 0.7 per cent higher than in 2020 and interrupts the declining trend from 2018 to 2020. The increase is partly explained by the reopening of hotels and restaurants after the Covid lockdowns. The EU consumed 48 per cent of the world's wine, at 114 million hl. This figure is exactly in line with the average of the last ten years. In 2000, this figure was still 59 per cent, and the decline corresponds to 20 million hl.
In the USA, wine consumption has been increasing by around five percent annually since 2016, while in France it declined by around ten percent in the same period. For Italy, the 24.2 million hl represent the highest value since 2008. Germany is in fourth place with 19.8 million hl. Sparkling wine consumption was particularly high here: the demand for champagne rose by a remarkable 28 percent compared to 2019. Great Britain's consumption of 13.4 million hl was 3.4 per cent above the five-year average. China ranked sixth with 10.5 million hl, but wine consumption fell again by 15.4 per cent, after a 17.4 per cent drop between 2019 and 2020, which the OIV experts attribute to import restrictions, especially from Australia.
Also 10.5 million hl were consumed in Russia in 2021, half of which came from domestic wine producers. How consumption will develop in view of the trade sanctions as a result of the Ukraine war is currently open. However, the OIV continues to see high demand for foreign wines there.
In Spain, consumption reached 10.5 million hl, back to the level before the Covid 19 pandemic. Argentina is the country with the ninth largest wine consumption with 8.4 million hl, which means a slump of 11 per cent, which is probably a consequence of the economic problems and currency devaluations. In tenth place is Australia with 5.9 million hl, which is 7.9 per cent more than the five-year average. Contrary to developments in many other countries, the share of regular wine consumers there rose by a third among 25 to 44 year-olds, while it fell by 7 per cent among those over 55.
According to the statistics, 2.6 million hl of wine were consumed in Switzerland (minus 1 percent), and 2.4 million hl in Austria (plus 2.3 percent).
(al / Source: OIV; Photo: 123rf)
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