Yesterday, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine reported that in 2017 global wine production hit its lowest point in 60 years. Vineyards produced just 25B liters of hug juice, down 8.6% from the previous year.
Some of the most productive regions in the world, including French, Italian, and Spanish wineries, are typically the most prolific in the world — but production dropped as much as 20%
Why?
Mother Nature doesn’t give a hoot about your wine buzz
Frosts and droughts hit the French regions of Bordeaux and Champagne hard. Meanwhile, South America was both blessed and cursed by El Nino, which boosted production in Argentina and Brazil, but decreased production in Chile for the second year in a row.
How’re the glasses stacking up this year? South Africa’s projected to be hit hard by drought — meaning your mom’s favorite sauvignon blanc may be in short supply.
Grape guzzlers also don’t give a hoot
Despite the shortage, global wine consumption has been on the rise since the 2008 economic crisis, topping 24B liters last year.
Once again, Americans reigned supreme as the biggest grape guzzlers on the planet, knocking back about 949m gallons in 2016, according to the Wine Institute — thanks, yet again, to those meddling millennials.
