Argentina and China, the country where wine consumption fell the most | Opening business

The World wine consumption stagnated in 2018because of the slowdown in the Chinese economy and the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit, according to an estimate of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV).

In 2018, 246 million hectoliters of wine were drunk worldwide, compared to 246.7 million in 2017, according to figures from the OIV, the international body of the sector, based in Paris.

There is a "stagnation in the progression" of the The consumption wine, due "mainly to a decline in consumption in China and the United Kingdom," said the OIV in a statement.

According to the report, the Argentina is among the countries where most have fallen consumption in 2018, just behind China, as a percentage. As a consequence of the local crisis, Argentineans have drunk 8.4 million hectoliters, 6.3% less than in 2017 and, therefore, It was at the lowest level of history.

As, in China, a fast-growing country as a consumer, producer and importer, consumer It decreased by 6.6%, in a context of slowing economyup to 18 million hectoliters.

Consumption of the British, wine lovers, who drank only 12.3 million hl was also reduced. in 2018, which is equivalent to a decrease of 3.1% compared to 2017.

On the other hand, United States, the world's largest consumer since 2011, saw an increase in domestic demand, by 1.1% compared to 2017, to 33 million hl. of wine.

In Europe, consumption remained almost stable in France (26.8 million hl, -0.7%), Italy (22.4 million, -0.9%), Germany (19.7 million, +1, 3%) and Spain (10.7 million, + 1.8%). At the same time, demand rose sharply in Portugal (+ 5.4%) and Romania (+ 8.7%), to 5.5 million and 4.5 million hl, respectively.

In terms of external sales, Spain remained the largest exporting country in volume, with 20.9 million hl., Or 19.4% of the world market, reported the OIV .

France remains the world 's leading exporter by value, with a turnover of 9,300 million euros (+ 2.8%).

However, the world market share of the top three, namely Spain, Italy and France, fell last year to 50.7% of the total volume sold worldwide, compared with 55 , 1% in 2017..

With regard to production, the OIV indicated that it had recovered in 2018 from its historic lows, thanks to a improved harvests compared to the previous year.

Argentina is one of the countries where consumption fell the most in 2018, just behind China, as a percentage. As a result of the local crisis, Argentines drank 8.4 million hectoliters, or 6.3% less than in 2017 and were therefore at the lowest level in history.

After reaching a minimum of six decades in 2017, when harvests were affected by an extreme climate that included droughts and storms in Europe, a phenomenon also observed in Argentina since 2016, global production has finally increased by 17% in 2018, 292.3 million hl.

This improvement is largely due to the strong recovery recorded by Italy, France and Spain, three of the largest producers in the world, with output 13% above the five-year average.

Wine production also increased in the southern hemisphere in 2018, with growth of 22.8% in Argentina (14.5 million hl), after two very rare harvests and 35.9% in Chile (12.6%). , 9 million). ).