Tensions between France and China, at least when it comes to wine, just got taken up another notch. In addition to recent hits to France’s Bordeaux revenue due to government crackdowns on excess, China also just took France’s claim to being the world’s second-largest wine region.
Spain And France Have A New Competitor
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (L’Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin or OIV) is an international body that tracks the scientific and technical aspects of winemaking and viticulture. As part of their duties, they release statistics on these things annually. While it has changed names and membership, the organization is likely rooted in the phylloxera epidemic of 1874 and the Montpellier Congress held by five nations in October of that year. They have recently announced that China is now a larger grower of wine grapes than France.