Which  Country  Now  Consumes  The  Most  Red  Wine?  Surprise!  By  Brandon  Vallorani  January  9,  2014    Which  nation  do  you  think  drinks  the  most  red  wine?  Italy?  France?  Well,  according  to  a  study  commissioned  by  Vinexpo  and  carried  out  by  International  Wine  &  Spirit  Research,  the  actual  answer  is  China.    Yes,  you  read  that  right.  In  2013  alone,  Chinese  oenophiles  drank  the  equivalent  of  1,865,000,000  bottles,  or  155,000,000  9-­‐liter  cases  of  red  wine.  All  told,  that’s  not  only  a  136%  increase  in  consumption  since  2008,  it’s  5  million  more  cases  than  France  and  almost  15  more  than  Italy.    While  for  now  the  US  remains  the  largest  consumer  of  wine  in  general,  red  wine  popularity  grows  in  China  on  account  of  the  luckiness  of  the  color,  the  burgeoning  population,  and  the  increasing  affluence  of  society.  What’s  more,  Chinese  wine  consumption  in  general  has  doubled  twice  in  the  last  five  years,  and  experts  predict  it  will  double  again  by  2016,  in  which  case  it  would  be  exactly  on  par  with  US  consumption.    For  Americans  worried  about  losing  our  edge,  there  are  two  encouraging  facts  to  keep  in  mind:    

1. Talking  per  capita,  Chinese  wine  consumption  is  still  a  lot  smaller  than  in  other  countries.  The  average  Chinese  person  drank  just  1.5  liters  per  person  last  year,  far  less  than,  say,  the  52  liters  drank  by  the  average  French  person.  

2. Overall  wine  consumption  in  China  actually  decreased  by  2%  last  year  following  a  government  crackdown  on  excessive  spending  and  luxury  gifts.In  fact,  China’s  growing  thirst  is  contributing  to  the  risk  of  a  global  wine  shortage,  Morgan  Stanley  said  late  last  year.  

 

Booming  consumption  levels  in  both  the  US  and  China  are  contributing  to  the  risk  of  an  impending  global  shortage,  especially  considering  the  recent  poor  harvests  in  Europe.      Brandon  Vallorani  is  the  CEO  and  founder  of  Liberty  Alliance,  and  is  a  practiced  entrepreneur  with  a  background  in  marketing  and  management.  Brandon  graduated  from  West  Virginia  University  with  a  Bachelor’s  of  Fine  Arts  in  Graphic  Design.  Liberty  Alliance  is  a  network  of  websites  dedicated  to  advancing  Life,  Liberty,  and  the  Pursuit  of  Happiness.  The  partners  and  members  of  this  organization  utilize  the  influence  of  new  media  to  promote  traditional  values  and  generate  more  than  1,000,000  page  views  each  day.  Brandon  Vallorani  enjoys  spending  time  with  his  family,  hunting  big  game,  and  indulging  fine  cigars  and  wine  with  his  partners.