U.S. Overtakes France as World's Biggest Wine Consumer
Date£º
2014-05-14 11:15 Source£º
winesearcher Author:
AFP with Wine-Searcher staff Translator:
The United States has stolen France¡¯s crown as the world¡¯s top wine consumer in the face of a global decline in consumption, the International Organization of Wine and Vine (OIV) said on Tuesday.
Global consumption dipped by a little more than 1 percent last year to 238.7 million hectoliters (mhl) of wine in a global market worth 25.7 billion euros ($35.2 billion).
The U.S. was the biggest consumer for the first time, slurping 29mhl of wine in 2013, with domestic production accounting for four-fifths of total consumption, said Jean-Marie Aurand, the head of the intergovernmental organization that compiles global statistics for the industry.
U.S. consumption rose by 0.5 percent, while French consumption fell by 7 percent.
"In countries such as France, Italy and Spain, people used to drink a lot of wine, but consumption habits are changing," Aurand explained. "In the U.S., it is different and they are starting from a lower level per capita, so they have a tendency to consume more and more, notably quality wine.¡±
On a per capita basis, France remained the largest consumer, despite the fall-off in consumption. French drinkers consume almost six times as much wine per head as their American counterparts.
France was in second place on the consumption table at 28mhl, followed by Germany, Italy and China.
While China has experienced impressive growth in recent years, the OIV reported that "the rapid growth in consumption in recent years appears to have come to a sudden end in China." The Chinese imbibed 16.8mhl of wine, representing a decline of 3.8 percent compared with 2012.
Wine consumption also fell in European countries such as Italy, Spain and Britain, said the OIV.
Aurand noted the overall decline in consumption may have been due to rising prices, as global production levels were small in 2012.
Wine production in 2013 returned to levels not seen since 2006, reaching 278.7mhl.