World’s biggest wine production countries are not the biggest consumers
By Anton Inarra.
France has traditionally being the reference for wine production in many countries of the new world. The French wine culture inspired many of the big wine producers in the United States and other countries. But together with France, Spain and Italy have been leading the wine production industry for decades. The expansion of the wine industry to the New World even though recent, less than 100 old, hast positioned some countries as the big references in quality and quantity in the global market, countries like the US, Argentina, Australia or Chile. Currently the US is the forth biggest wine producer in the wold, with many world’s best vintages over the decades.
According to Statista.com for 2023 the ranking for the world’s biggest wine production countries was as follows: In the first place it was France with 48 million hectoliters a year, in the second place was Italy with roughly 38 million, followed by Spain with 28 million hectoliters; right after was the USA with 24 million. Next in amount of wine production there are other countries with much lower quantities, ranging from 11 to 8.5 million: Chile, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Germany and Portugal.
Another interesting fact is that the biggest wine consuming country is not in Europe but in North America. The US took the first place in wine drinking with 33.5 million hectoliters in 2023
And what’s the position of the Rioja region in this situation? Rioja is the third biggest wine production region in Spain with a little over 3 million hectoliters per year; around 13% of Spain’s wine production. In addition to that, Rioja makes some of the best wines in the world, and its wineries rate in the highest positions. In 2024 the best wine in the world was Castillo de Ygay of Marques de Murrieta, and for 2025 two of the top 5 wineries in the world are also in Rioja, Marques de Riscal, number one, and Ysios, number 4. As we can see the Rioja region not only produces big quantities of wine, but it also makes some of the best wines in the world. Another competitive advantage of Rioja is the price of its wines, with an excellent quality-price ratio.
XVIIth century wine cellar at Bodegas Viñasperi in Laguardia, Rioja.
In Rioja there are around 600 wineries distributed in its three subregions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alvesa (Basque Rioja), and Rioja Oriental. Interestingly the Basque Rioja has the highest number of wineries in the Region with around 400. We think that is interesting because Rioja Alavesa is much smaller in extension than the other two subregions. In the Basque Rioja we find top wineries such as Riscal, but also hundreds of small family owned wineries that are jewels for wine lovers looking to discover less known wineries. At North Coast Tours they are experts of the Rioja region. They have a wealth of knowledge of all types of wineries. They run semi-private small group (8 people max.) tours every week, and they also offer private tailor-made tours which are a great option for those looking to explore the region in depth.
You can contact North Coast Tours on their website at northcoastours.com
