The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) released its most recent update on wine production data last week, which showcases the changing production patterns of red, white, and rosé wine over the past two decades.
OIV broke down the data to reveal which countries produced the most wine in each category over three time periods: 2000 to 2006, 2007 to 2013, and 2014 to 2021. Italy is currently in the lead for largest producer of red wine, accounting for 17.3 percent of the world’s production. France comes in at second place, producing 13.9 percent of global red wine in 2014 to 2021. But this number marks a decline for the nation, which was responsible for 15.9 percent of the world’s red wine in 2007 to 2013 and led the world in red wine production in 2000 to 2006 with 21.9 percent.
Breakdown of global red wine production by country
The 2014 to 2021 time frame shows that Spain is now closing in on France in the category, producing 13.5 percent of the world’s red wine in the most recent time frame. 2021’s data alone shows that Spain’s production finally surpassed France that year. Following the big three, the surprising fourth-largest producer of red wine in the world is China, which beat out Argentina, Chile, and the U.S. That said, those latter three competitors are all growing at a faster rate than China, Italy, and France, so their status may shift in the coming years.
Similarly for white wine, Italy is the top producer, accounting for 21.1 percent of global production. France still holds the second place for volume, representing 15.4 percent of the total — but just as with red wines, this number has decreased over time. Spain again rounds out the top three, accounting for 14.2 percent of the world’s white wine production.
While the U.S. was the seventh-largest producer of red wine from 2014 to 2021 with only six percent of the total production, it ranks fourth in white wine production with 10.6 percent of the total. Behind the U.S. is South Africa, Australia, and Germany. New Zealand, which is widely known for its signature Sauvignon Blanc, surprisingly brings up the rear, ranking 10th with just 1.9 percent of total white wine.
Breakdown of global white wine production by country
It’s no shock that France remains the top producer of rosé worldwide, and their proportion of total production has actually grown since 2000, rising from 24.4 percent to 31.9 percent. France is followed by Spain and the U.S., which might be a testament to America’s recent obsession with rosé.
The data also examines how these color categories have grown as a whole and changed over these time periods. Red wine production has declined by 25 percent since its peak in 2004. Now, white wine has surpassed red wine production, making up 49.3 percent of all wine production.
Breakdown of global rosé wine production by country
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