During the 41st World Congress of Vine and Wine, the Director General of the OIV, Jean-Marie Aurand, presented an overview of the vitivinicultural sector.

The report covers the areas under vines, grape production, wine production and consumption, and wine import and export volumes.

• In 2017, the world area under vines rose to 7,534 kha.
• Global grape production reached 73 mt in 2017.
• 2018 world wine production (excluding juice and musts) is estimated at 279 mhl.
• 2017 world wine consumption is estimated at 244 mhl.

Vineyard surface area

The size of the total world area under vines (regardless of the final destination of the grapes and including vineyards not yet in production) rose to 7,534 kha in 2017 and should see a slight decrease compared with that of 2016 (-24 kha).

Spain remains a clear leader in terms of the cultivated surface area with 967 kha, ahead of China (870 kha) and France (786 kha). The Chinese area under vines continued to increase (+6 kha between 2016 and 2017). However, EU vineyards saw a slower rate of decline and should stand at 3,304 kha in 2017.

Grapes

In 2017, the global grape production (grapes intended for all types of use) was almost 73 mt.

There has been an upward trend in grape production since 2000 (+9%), despite the decline in the vineyard surface area. This change may be explained mainly by a rise in yields, stemming from the continual improvement of viticultural techniques.

China, with 13.7 mt, was the biggest producer in 2017 (19% of global grape production), followed by Italy (6.9 mt), the United States (6.7 mt) and France (5.5 mt).

Wine production

Global wine production (excluding juice & musts) is estimated at 279 mhl in 2018, an increase of 13% compared with 2017 production. 2018 production is set to be one of the highest since 2000. It is worth noting that the year 2017 was marked by adverse climate conditions, which affected production in numerous countries. The data – still provisional – on 2017 wine production has also been revised downward, according to the latest data recorded.

Italy (48.5 mhl) confirmed its position as the leading world producer, followed by France (46.4 mhl) and Spain (40.9 mhl). The level of production in the United States still remained high (23.9 mhl). In South America, production significantly increased: in Argentina (14.5 mhl), in Chile (12.9 mhl) and in Brazil (3.4 mhl). Finally, South Africa (9.4 mhl) experienced an unfavorable drought.

Wine consumption

The data available showed a slight rise in global consumption in 2017, estimated at around 244 mhl.

The traditional consumer countries pursued their downward trend (or stagnation), to the benefit of new consumption areas. The period between 2000 and 2017 was characterized by a shift in wine consumption. Wine is increasingly consumed outside the country in which it is produced.

With 32.6 mhl, the United States confirmed its position as the biggest global consumer country since 2011, followed by France (27.0 mhl), Italy (22.6 mhl), Germany (20.1 mhl) and China (17.9 mhl).

The international wine trade

In 2017, the world wine trade increased by 3.4% in terms of volume (108 mhl) and 4.8% in terms of value (30 bn EUR) compared with 2016.

Abbreviations used:

• kha: thousands of hectares
• mha: millions of hectares
• kt: thousands of tons
• mt: millions of tons
• khl: thousands of hectolitres
• mhl millions of hectolitres bn
• EUR: billions of euros

Source: OIV