Wine production and consumption in 2021

There's so much going on in the wine world. Every year we talk about a good year, or a bad one. High yield, low yield, and what about the quality? So many opinions and differing perspectives come into play when assessing a vintage. So let's stick to the facts and figures. We're looking back at 2021.

How much wine is produced worldwide?

Global wine production reached an all-time low in 2021. Of course, we haven't had the easiest of years. Many of the top-producing countries experienced challenging growing seasons and weather extremes that threw a wrench in the works. Furthermore, there's a trend we can only encourage: quality over quantity. This applies to both winemakers and the consumers who buy and drink the final wine. In 2017, we were talking about the lowest yields in twenty years, and 2021 is following suit. Compared to 2020, global wine production fell by 4%—a significant drop! France has suffered the most. With a 26% decline, they experienced their worst harvest since 1957. The reason? Heavy frost in the spring and a tough battle against powdery mildew .

Just like in recent years, the top 3 has remained unchanged. Not surprising, since the standouts are also considered the traditional wine countries. Fun fact: the top 3 produces 78% of all wine in the EU. It's also interesting to see that while all the "old world" countries suffered enormous losses, the "new world" countries have actually done well. There has to be a difference.

1. Italy – 44.5 mhl (-9%)
2. Spain – 35 mhl (-14%)
3. France – 34.2 million (-26%)
4. USA – 24.1 mhl (+6%)
5. Australia – 14.2 mhl (+30%)
6. Chile – 13.4 mhl (+30%)
7. Argentina – 12.5 mhl (+16%)
8. South Africa – 10.6 mhl (+2%)

SOURCE: Forbes

Where are most of the vineyards planted?

It's estimated that there are approximately 7.3 million hectares of vineyards worldwide. Over the years, we've seen this area gradually shrink. This reflects the trend of planting the right grape varieties in the right places and harvesting the rest. In 2021, it was approximately 0.3% less than the previous year. Vineyards that have just been planted but are not yet in production are also included in these figures.

1. Spain – 964,000 ha (+0.4%)
2. France – 798,000 ha (+0.2%)
3. Italy – 718,000 ha (remained the same)

Besides these top three, China is also driving the number of vineyards. And Iran is making a significant contribution. Although Iran produces very little wine , its main production is table grapes and raisins.

Figures show that the number of vineyards in the EU continues to rise steadily, but the Southern Hemisphere, on the other hand, is showing a downward trend. In the Southern Hemisphere, Argentina is the largest vineyard owner with 211,000 hectares, followed by Chile with 210,000 hectares.

Which country consumes the most wine?

That's all well and good, of course, but all that wine needs to be consumed. For three years now, wine consumption has been declining, no matter how hard I try to compensate. Part of this downward trend can be attributed to COVID.

However, restaurants have now reopened and the wine is flowing freely again, so I'm curious about the 2022 figures.

The past year – 2021 – looked like this:

1. US – 33.1 mhl (+0.7%)
2. France – 25.3 mln (+8.6%)
3. Italy – 24.2mhl (remained the same)
4. Germany – 19.8mhl (remained the same)
5. UK – 13.4mhl (remained the same)
6. Spain – 10.5mhl (+10%)
7. China – 10.5mhl (-15.4%)
8. Russia – 10.5mhl (+ 3%)
9. Argentina – 8.4mhl (-11%)
10. Australia – 5.9mhl (remained the same)

The Netherlands isn't in the top 10 for total wine consumption. However, if we look at the number of liters per person, we suddenly find ourselves at number 9. Europe is certainly well represented in this list of annual consumption per person.

1. Portugal – 51.9 liters
2. France – 46.9 liters
3. Italy – 46 liters
4. Switzerland – 35.5 liters
5. Austria – 30.6 liters
6. Australia – 28.7 liters
7. Germany – 27.5 liters
8. Spain – 26.2 liters
9. Netherlands – 26.1 liters
10. Belgium – 26 liters

Source: International Organization of Vine & Wine and Decanter

All those numbers are incredibly abstract, of course. Hopefully, you've gotten a sense of the bigger picture. It's a hot topic every year, and we'll keep you updated!