Soft slide in global consumption, sharper drop in China
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The world is drinking less wine, but making more of it, the latest figures from the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) show. Worldwide, wine consumption in 2013 was 238.7 mhl, down 2.5 mhl compared with 2012.
The OIV’s new figures published 13 May show a significant shift: France has lost the top slot for wine consumption, bypassed by the US, which consumed 29.1 mhl of wine. The US is also the largest importer of wines, bypassing the UK, which saw wine imports fall by more than 5 percent in 2013.
The US is now the biggest internal wine market in the world in terms of volume.
The Paris-based OIV says that wine consumption in France fell 2.1 mhl (millions of hectolitres/1 hectolitre = 100 litres) for a total figure of 28.1 mhl consumed. Italy’s drinking was down by 0.8 mhl for a total of 21.7 mhl and Spain’s by 0.2 mhl for a total of 9.1 mhl. Germany is the fourth-largest market and consumption rose last year by 1.5 percent, to 20.3 mhl.
The OIV published figures last month showing that the area of vines planted has risen slightly. The world produced 278.6 mhl of wine in 2013, leaving a surplus before stocks are taken into account.
China wine consumption growth, “sudden end”
The OIV notes, without looking for the reason, that “As for China, with 16.8 mhl – a decline of 3.8% between 2012 (17.5 mhl) and 2013 – the rapid growth in consumption in recent years appears to have come to a sudden end.”
Wine drinkers in China I’ve spoken with suggest the crackdown on conspicuous business consumption has played a role. In particular, massive quantities of alcohol are traditionally consumed – supplied by workers’ companies – at the Chinese New Year, and some of this has been cut back.
The drop in Chinese numbers contrasts with wine consumption in the main South American countries (Argentina, Chile and Brazil), South Africa and Romania which recorded a rise in wine consumption compared with 2012.
Bottled, still wine account for most value
Bottled, 71 percent, and sparkling wines, 17 percent, accounted for the “vast majority” of the value of the world wine market, respectively 18.3 billion and 4.3 billion euros.
2014 forecast: lower production in the South
Southern hemisphere harvests at the start of 2014 have led the OIV to note that “overall, early estimates of wine production in the southern hemisphere lead us to anticipate a reduction in 2014 of around 10% compared with 2013, placing it within the range of 49 to 53 mhl.”
Leave a Reply