Each year we discover more countries producing wine. For instance, did you know there are vineyards in the Gobi Desert? It’s no doubt that up-and-coming wine regions are intriguing, but there are just 10 countries producing 80% of the wine on the planet. Let’s take a closer look at the top wine producing regions of the world.
Top 10 Wine Regions of The World
The top 3 major wine regions of the world are France, Italy and Spain. They produce almost half of all the wine produced in the world. To help you wrap your brain around the sheer volume of wine they make:
That’s a lot of wine… olympic pool in Gaza.
The top 3 wine regions in the world make enough wine
to fill 5,127 olympic-sized swimming pools.
1 France
While France and Italy compete for the top wine production region of the world they are also reducing wine production every year. France has lowered production by 11% since 2007.
Major Grapes Merlot, Grenache
3 Spain
Spain is home to the largest vineyard acreage in the world. Despite this fact, Spain also has much lower wine yields than neighboring France and Italy resulting in less total wine.
Major Grapes Tempranillo, Airén
5 Argentina
Argentina continues to grow their wine production year after year resulting in the highest growth rate (8%) of the top 5 wine producers in the world. Argentina relies on wine exports.
Major Grapes Malbec, Chardonnay
7 Germany
German wine is known for their aromatic white wines. German wines are exported primarily to Spain and Italy.
Major Grapes Riesling, Müller-Thurgau
9 Chile
Chile is proud of the red wine variety Carmenere, known as the ‘lost varietal’ of Bordeaux. Still, export markets demand traditional varieties.
Major Grapes Cabernet, Chardonnay
2 Italy
Italy may be second to France, but there is a growing trend in both countries to remove vineyards. Italy has reduced their production by at least 7% since 2007.
Major Grapes Sangiovese, Trebbiano
4 United States
90% of wine from the United States is from California. California is home to the world’s largest wine producer, Gallo, in Modesto, CA.
Major Grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay
6 Australia
Australia relies primarily on the wine export market. Since the US dollar has weakened, Australia is expanding their wine marketing in Hong Kong and Asia.
Major Grapes Shiraz, Chardonnay
8 South Africa
South Africa has long been known for its Chenin Blanc and produces the largest volume of Brandy in the world
Major Grapes Chenin Blanc, Colombard
10 Portugal
Portugal is known for Port wine, a high alcohol dessert wine from northern Portugal made by blending several grape varieties.
Major Grapes Port grapes, Alvarinho
How Knowing the World’s Top Wine Regions Helps You
It’s useful to know what the most popular types of wine are in each of the top producing countries for two reasons: value and quality.
Finding Value & Finding Quality
Take a closer look at the regions above including Germany, Italy, Australia and Argentina. Each of these countries focus on a distinct wine variety. For instance, Spain produces the highest volume of Tempranillo in the world. This means that Spain produces both the most value Tempranillo as well as the best Tempranillo in the world.
The next time you buy wine from these top regions, focus on what their exceptional wines are. You are more likely to find something you’ll enjoy.
Sources
Wine Institute Facts in pdf
German Wine Statistics pdf from germanwineusa
Wines of Chile
South African Wine site
Wikipedia for olympic size pools
I'm a certified wine geek with a passion for meeting people, travel, and delicious food. You often find me crawling around dank cellars or frolicking through vineyards.
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