In 2024, world wine consumption has reached the lowest since 1961. Such data were published by the International Organization of Viticulture and Winemaking (OIV). According to a study, last year, only 214 million hectoliters of wine were consumed in the world, which is 3.3% less than in 2023.
The reason for this fall is a number of factors, including economic instability, geopolitical tension, inflation, and changing consumer preferences in many countries of the world. According to analysts, the population is increasingly choosing other drinks or altogether refuses to alcohol.
At the same time, global wine production also decreased by 4.8%to 225.8 million hectoliters. This is the lowest level of production since the early 1960s. The main reason for this fall was extreme weather phenomena caused by climatic changes, which adversely affected both the grape harvests and the quality of raw materials in many winery regions of both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
Another alarming signal is the constant reduction of vineyard areas in the world. In 2024, the area decreased by 0.6% and amounted to 7.1 million hectares.
Despite the overall decline, some countries remain leaders in the winery. In particular, Italy in 2024 produced 44.1 million hectoliters of wine (+15%), holding the first place in the world. France, instead, reduced production by 23.5% (up to 36.1 million hectoliters), being second. The third place was taken by Spain - 31 million hectolites (+9.3%).
The five largest manufacturers also included the United States (21.1 million hectoliters, -17.2%) and Argentina (10.9 million hectoliters, +23.3%).
Regarding the area of vineyards, the leader is Spain - 930 thousand hectares, despite a decrease by 1.5%. It is followed by France (783 thousand hectares, -0.7%), China (753 thousand hectares, -0.4%), Italy (728 thousand hectares, +0.8%) and Turkey (402 thousand hectares, -1%).
OIV experts say that further dynamics of the world wine market will depend on the adaptation of the industry to climatic changes, economic stability and the ability of winemakers to meet new consumer trends.
