Wine is an excellent drink for people all over the world. Not only is it used for formal gatherings and special occasions, but wine is also responsible for the significant revenue and contributions to a country’s economic status. Most high-quality wines are expensive because of the process involved in making, storing, and packaging the wine.
These wines often take a long time to make and require considerable amounts of money to store properly. When it comes to winemaking, people automatically think that Italy is the number one wine producer in the world. The country currently that holds the prestige of the top wine producer in the world is France.
Again when it comes to wine, most people only think about Italy. However, there are lots of countries all over the world that produce high-quality wine that can surely satisfy a broad audience. Ranked from 1 to 4, here are the countries that produce the most wine, and some bits of facts to go along with it:
France
As mentioned earlier, France is currently the number one wine-producing country in the world. France has six major wine-producing regions, namely: Alsace, Provence, Bordeaux, Loire, Rhone Valley, and Burgundy.
As they are the top producers of wine, most french men will argue that the French were the first to invent wine. However, historical research shows that winemaking was prevalent even before France became a country. Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan were found out to have the oldest and earliest evidence of wine production. It wasn’t later that the Egyptians made it famous, with the Romans improving it.
France, however, can claim the feat of considering winemaking as an art. Due to their outlook on wine, many improvements have been developed in creating, storing, and preserving it. The most common grapes used for winemaking in France are Merlot, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cabernet Sauvignon. France also produces top-class wines such as Côte de Nuits wines and Pinot Noir wines.
Italy
Italy is well known for its pizza, pasta, and of course, wine. The country is blessed with volcanic nutrient-rich soil that’s essential for growing the best varieties of grapes used for wine. Italy has a staggering, 350 official wine varieties.
Overall, Italy boasts 20 wine-producing regions. The five largest regions are Veneto, Tuscany, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy. These five regions are responsible for over 62% of the country’s total wine production.
The smallest five regions are Liguria, Calabria, Molise, Basilicata, and Valle d’Aosta. Although these five regions only produce .62% of Italy’s wine, these regions are still important as they grow rare grape varieties for expensive wines. The most common grapes grown in Italy are Montepulciano, Zinfandel, Barbera, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo.
Italy is home to the oldest wineries in the world. The country also holds a record for consuming wine. The average Italian consumes around 54 liters of wine every year. Consuming these quantities only makes sense and is proof that Italy is a significant superpower when it comes to producing top quality wines.
Spain
When it comes to wine-producing, Spain doesn’t immediately come to mind for most people. However, Spain is a significant wine-producing country, ranking 3rd in the world’s total wine production. Since Spain is a vast country, the land is blessed with several distinct climates that differentiate the varieties grown in the country.
This is the reason why Spain’s wine is diverse and is often ranked higher in terms of taste and quality. Spain has eight major wine-producing regions. These are La Rioja, Priorat, Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rías Baixas, Valdeorras, and Cava. The wine in Spain is produced and sold according to regional restrictions and legislations.
La Rioja is the country’s oldest wine producer, with evidence suggesting that the earliest wine production started in the year 1092. Although Spain is 3rd in total wine production, the country is actually the top exporter of wine. In 2014, the country exported a total of 22.8 million hectolitres of wine, with France being the primary buyer.
Spain is also the biggest producer of organic wines in the world. The Spanish government has classified that at least 80,000 hectares or 800 km worth of land are suitable for growing organic grapes. Some of the grapes grown in Spain are Tempranillo, Grenache, Albariño, Cariñena, Macabeo, and Palomino.
United States of America
Although more known for its beer, the United States of America is actually number four in terms of total wine production all over the world. There are lots of wine-producing regions in the U.S., but these seven are the best: Napa Valley, Paso Robles, and Sonoma in California, the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Charlottesville in Virginia, the Texas Hill Country in Texas, and Finger Lakes located in New York.
Some of the grapes used by U.S. winemakers are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Rubired, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc Merlot, and Chenin Blanc. In the past, the United States of America faced prohibition, a period where everything related to alcoholic drinks was banned. As the ban was lifted, the U.S. slowly recovered and is now on track with some of the world’s major wine producers.
Takeaway
France, Italy, Spain, and the United States of America are the world’s top producers of wine. These countries export wine all over the world, especially to countries that have difficulty in cultivating vineyards.
Although these four countries are dominating the world in terms of wine production, countries such as Argentina, Australia, China, and South Africa are slowly creeping towards the upper echelon of wine excellency.
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