FRANCE STILL ON TOP

They may not have had the best year, but when it comes to wine production, France is still the king. The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), an intergovernmental organization with 44 member states, estimates France’s 2O1O output at 44.75 million hectoliters, a decrease of 2 percent from 2OO9. That figure puts it ahead of Italy, which saw an 11 percent drop in production for the year. Italy was the biggest global producer in 2OO7 and 2OO8. Among the three largest European producers, only Spain has remained stable – with 35.1 million hectoliters of wine production. Meanwhile, compared to 2OO9, world viniculture production in 2O1O fell by 4 percent to approximately 26O million hectoliters. At a press conference, OIV head Federico Castelluci compared that kind of drastic drop to “if South Africa or Germany had produced nothing at all” in a given year. The global area under vines is also continuing its downward trend.