Italy is world’s third top wine consumer

Italy is the world’s third biggest consumer of wine, quaffing 20,400 hectolitres in 2014, according to figures released on Monday by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. The United States is the biggest consumer, drinking some 31,000 hectolitres – 13 percent of the global intake – followed by France. But when it comes to wine production, Italy saw a decline of 17 percent last year after significant harvests in 2013. France remained the biggest producer of wine in the world, pumping out 47 million hectolitres last year.