World wine consumption falls for 1st time in years

After years of non-stop growth, global wine consumption started to retreat last year, along with the rest of the world economy... latest figures on wine making and drinking around the world reveal a few key shifts. For the first time, the United States surpassed Italy in terms of total wine consumption, with 27.3 million hectoliters compared to 26 million for Italy, the group said. On the vineyard end, European vineyards accounted for less than half the world's grape production for the first time last year.