Nov. 6 – Italy overtakes France and becomes the world’s largest wine producer, with a crop estimated at 40.8 million hectoliters in 2012. Coldiretti registered a complete harvest for all Italian grapes, for an overall 3% decrease but an increase in quality. Yet, according to Coldiretti, this decrease in production was marginal compared to the decrease in production of other countries, such as France, where the harvest fell by as much as 19% to 40.5 million hectoliters, with peaks of 26% for champagne, according to the World Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). Wine made in Italy also attained a new record concerning exports (+8%), and, always according to Coldiretti via ISTAT data, it could reach up to € 4.5 billion in 2012. Finally, it appears that Italian spumante, is particularly popular in the nation of Champagne, where sales increased by 35%.
