Italy

Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy, home to some of the world’s oldest wine-growing regions. Italy is the world’s largest wine producer, with 702,000 hectares (1,730,000 acres) of land planted with vineyards and an annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine from 2013 to 2017. In 2018, Italy accounted for 19% of global production, ahead of France (17%) and Spain (15%). Italian wine is both exported worldwide and popular domestically among Italians, who consume an average of 42 liters per capita, ranking fifth in global wine consumption.

The Etruscans and Greek colonists were producing wine in Italy before the Romans planted their own vineyards in the 2nd century A.D. The Romans significantly expanded Italy’s vineyard area by employing efficient viticulture and winemaking methods, and they pioneered large-scale production and storage techniques such as barrel-making and bottling.