The United States drinks the most wine by total volume, but Portugal consumes the most per person (per capita). Europe dominates wine consumption overall, with Portugal, Italy, and France leading in per capita intake, while the U.S., France, Italy, Germany, and the UK account for over half of global wine consumption in total volume.
France is the second largest consumer of wine in the world
Italy, the largest producer of wine in the world, sits in third place when it comes to wine consumption. Its population is estimated to have enjoyed 22.3 million hectolitres of wine in 2024, which is on par with the country's consumption in 2023 (+0.1%).
Men in Romania are, by and large, the heaviest drinkers on the planet. The average Romanian male drinks 27.3 liters, roughly seven and a half gallons, per year.
It found that 31% of wine drinkers are now Millennials, surpassing Baby Boomers at 26%, whose share has dropped significantly from 32% in 2023. Gen Z's share also climbed from 9% to 14%, despite only half the cohort currently being of legal drinking age.
Rates of daily heavy drinking were higher among Hispanics (33.9 percent), Native Americans (28.4 percent), and Whites (27.3 percent) compared with Blacks (22.5 percent) and Asians (19.2 percent).
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the largest wine producing countries are Italy, France, Spain, the United States and Argentina (juices and musts excluded).
In 2019, the top 10 European countries with the highest alcohol consumption per capita were Czechia (14.3 litres), Latvia (13.2), Moldova (12.9), Germany (12.8), Lithuania (12.8), Ireland (12.7), Spain (12.7), Bulgaria (12.5), Luxembourg (12.4), and Romania (12.3).
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
Liters of alcohol consumed per capita in selected European countries 2022. In 2022, Latvia consumed 11.9 liters of alcohol per capita, which was the highest among European countries. Spain had the second-highest alcohol consumption per capita, at 11.8 liters, with Turkey having the lowest at 1.6 liters.
The 20-minute wine rule is a simple guideline to bring wines to their optimal serving temperature: put red wines in the fridge for about 20 minutes to cool slightly (as room temp is too warm), and take white wines out of the fridge for about 20 minutes to let them warm up a bit (as too cold masks flavors). This helps unlock the full aromas and flavors, as serving wines too hot or too cold mutes their complexity.
No hangover. Just… fine. From what I've read, French wines usually have fewer additives, lower sulfites, and lower tyramine (the headache trigger).
According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of alcohol use disorder in the Italian population is only 1.3 percent; it's 11 percent in Sweden, and 13.9 percent in the US.
The "wine 30/30 rule" is a simple guideline for adjusting wine temperature before serving: put red wine in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool it down, and take white wine out of the fridge 30 minutes to let it warm up, bringing both closer to their ideal serving temperatures for optimal flavor and aroma release. This "30 in, 30 out" approach helps balance fruit, tannins, and acidity, preventing reds from being too heavy and whites from being too muted by cold.
The 80/20 rule in wine, also known as the Pareto Principle, generally means 80% of sales come from 20% of the wines (the bestsellers), guiding restaurants and retailers to focus on high-performing wines for profitability, while consumers can use it to balance favorite reliable bottles (80%) with adventurous new discoveries (20%). It also applies to customer bases, where 20% of customers drive 80% of revenue, and to marketing, suggesting focusing on the few key wines that resonate most with buyers.
In other words, for each glass of wine an American drinks, a French person drinks four. Why? Well, for one, drinking wine in France isn't seen as a luxury. Because wine is less expensive, people tend to have a glass of wine or two at lunch and dinner (including Emmanuel Macron!).
Is a bottle of wine a day too much? The honest answer is 'yes'. UK Chief Medical Officers advise that both men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread over three or more days. They also say that women should have no more than one a day.
If you do experience early symptoms of ARLD, these are often quite vague, such as:
Two fingers means a single pour. Three fingers means a double pour. Served neat in a rocks glass. It's old school.
Whites have greater odds than Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians for either a past-year or lifetime alcohol use disorder. Native Americans have greater odds than Whites for lifetime alcohol dependence but similar odds for lifetime alcohol abuse and past-year alcohol abuse and dependence.
Do Australians, on average, drink more than the Irish? Do Australians, on average, drink more than the Irish? No. Average annual alcohol consumption in Ireland (around 11 litres) is higher than Australia (around 9.4 litres).
Examining Alcoholism Statistics by Race
They say that Barolo is the 'King of Wines and the Wine of Kings'. It is certainly a very special, complex red wine from the region of Piedmont – known to Italians as Piemonte.
The "75 rule" for U.S. wine labels means that if a specific grape (like Chardonnay or Merlot) is named, at least 75% of the wine must be from that grape variety; this rule extends to the 75-85-95 rule, where 85% of grapes must come from a named region (AVA) and 95% from a specific vintage year for those claims to be valid, offering consumers transparency about the wine's origin and composition.
France has often proved to be the top wine country, and while its production of wine has reduced due to several recent bouts of bad weather, France is still a primary contender.