Top 10 Wine Producing Nations

Wine is mainly produced from grapes or some other fruits.There are different types of wine produced all over the globe which include white wine, red wine etc. the different variety depends upon the different types of grapes used to manufacture them.  With the increase in desire for better wine, the production and export of wine has increased in recent years. Many countries have increased their production rate to meet the increasing demand for better quality wine. Among the best known wine producing countries here are the top 10 countries with the highest production of wine.

10. Portugal:

During the Roman reign Portuguese started exporting the wine produced to Rome. The main varieties of wine produced in Portugal are Vinho Verde, Douro wine, Dao wine, Bairrada wine, Alentejo wine and Colares wine. The total export f wine from Portugal is 82 million gallons which is just 51 percent of the total production. The total production of wines in Portugal is  7,340,000 hectoliters.

9.South Africa

South African countries have been for decades producing wines. The per annum wine production in South Africa is around 8,850,000 hectoliters. The main vineyards are located near Stellenbosch, Worcester and Paarl. The major wine producing areas are mainly located near the southernmost part of Africa. The white wine producing grape varieties are Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay and the major red wine producing grape varieties are Syrah, merlot, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon.

8. Germany

Wine in Germany is produced near the river Rhine (west of Germany).  The wine production in Germany dates back to Roman times. The total production area for wine is around 102,000 hectares. The annual wine production in Germany is around 7 million hectoliters which is almost equal to 1.2 billion bottles of wine. This has made Germany to stand eighth among the wine producing nations. Two third of the total wine produces is white wine. More than 135 varieties of grapes are grown for wine production out of which 100 for white wine production and 35 for red wine production.

7.Australia

Australia supplies around 750 million liters of wine per year to the international market. The per annul consumption in Australia is just 40 percent of the total production. The total production of wine per year in Australia is around 10,200,000 liters. The total wine production land in Australia is 160,000 hectares and there are around 60 wine producing regions in Australia. The main regions include South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland. The major varieties of wine produced are Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine has now become a part of Australian culture as its popularity in the recent years has grown.

6. China

Grape wine in China is known for a long time. In wine consumption China stand among the ten global wine consuming markets. Initially beer dominated the Chinese markets but during 1980 with the import of wine from France and other region the taste of Chinese people changed. The per annul wine production in China is around 11,600,000 hectoliters. Wine consumption in China has fairly increased over the few years especially among the youth as well as the white collars. The wine production in China is mainly from grapes or from its juice. The different varieties of wine produced in China are dry red wine, dry white wine, specialty wines and sweet wine.

5.Argentina

Argentina is the fifth largest wine producing nation. Per year production of wine in Argentina is 13,230,000 hectoliters. In the early days of wine producing people in Argentina were more interested in the amount of wine produced than the quality of it. About 90 percent of the wine produced was consumed inside the country and was not exported. During the year 1990 Argentineans started producing wines with superior quality meant for exporting purpose. Argentina has now become the largest exporter of wine in South America.   The major wine producing regions in Argentina are San Juan, Mendoza, Rio Negro, La Rioja, Buenos Aires and Catamarca. Argentina is famous for its organic wine. Due to low humidity and high altitude of the wine producing regions in Argentina the use of insecticide and pesticide is minimal.

4.United States

The production of American wine is 300 years old. Wine is produced in fifty states of United Nations and California accounts 89 percentage of the total wine produced in the country. America stands on the 4^thposition in wine producing nations. The basic varieties of grapes grown in America includes Vitis riparia, Vitis labrusca, Vitis  rotundifolia, Vitis amurensis and Vitis vulpine. The vine plantation is on 1,100,000 acres of land which makes United States the sixth largest country in the vine plantation area. The overall production of wine in United States is 20,800,000 hectoliters per year.

3. Spain

Spain is has the biggest plantation for producing wines. The overall plantation region is around 2.9 million acres. Spain stands 3^rd in the line for producing wines. The overall production of wine per year in Spain is 42,800,000 hectoliters. The low production of wine as compared to other countries is due to the low yields. The plantation land is dry, infertile and very widely spaced which results in poor yield of the vine. The overall consumption of wine in Spain 38 liters per year and this puts Spain on the ninth number in the list of worldwide wine Consumption per year. There are more than 80 varieties of grapes planted throughout the Spain. The main grape variety includes Albarino, Palomino, Tempranillo, Macabeo, Parellada, Monastrell, Garnacha, Carinena and Xarello.

2 France:

The total annul production of French wine is around 50 to 60 million hectoliters, which is almost equal to 7-8 million bottles of wine. After Italy, France holds the second largest position in wine producing countries. The French wine making is dated back to Roman era. France has many different varieties of grapes frown in different parts of the country. The varieties include chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. The French wines have range from highly expensive wines that are sold all throughout the world to cheap wines that are sold just in France. In recent years the French wine making industries have seen a decline in their profits due to the competition offered by European countries.

1.Italy

Italy is the largest wine producing country which houses most of the oldest wine producing regions throughout the world. Italian wine is not only popular in Italy but it is the most popular wine sold internationally. Italy ranks third in terms of the area of land under the vine production. The vine production conditions in Italy are very favorable which has led Italy as the largest wine producing nation. The per annum wine production in Italy is 44,010,000 hectoliters with 42 liters as their per capita consumption. Italy has more than one million grapes growing gardens and grapes are cultivated in almost every part of the country.