Italy Is Still the World's Largest Wine Producer in 2025

47.4 million hectoliters. That’s what Italy pulled out of the ground this year, up 8% from 2024 and enough to reclaim the title of world’s largest wine producer. The American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) posted a chart about it this week: “The World’s Main Wine Producers, 2025.” Italy, France and Spain together account for almost half of everything that ends up in a vat worldwide.

Not a surprise if you follow the sector. Still a number worth sitting with for a second.

The top three, and why they sit so close together

Italy produced 47.4 Mhl in 2025, up 8% from 2024. France follows at 35.9 Mhl, down 1%. Spain rounds out the top three at 29.4 Mhl, also down 1.4% year over year.

Those three countries together supply almost half of world production. The rest of the ranking: the United States in fourth (21.7 Mhl, +3%), Australia back in fifth (11.6 Mhl, +11%) after a weak 2024, and Argentina in sixth (10.7 Mhl), the largest producer in South America. South Africa, Chile, Germany and Portugal round out the top ten.

Global production for 2025 lands somewhere between 228 and 235 million hectoliters, with 232 Mhl as the OIV’s mid-range estimate. A slight rebound after the exceptionally low 2024 harvest, but still below the five-year average.

Why Italy wins this year

Italy’s recovery is concentrated in the south. Production there rose 19%, while central Italy actually saw a slight decline (-3%), largely due to a weaker harvest in Tuscany. Veneto remains the country’s largest producing region, accounting for almost a quarter of the national total, followed by Puglia and Emilia-Romagna.

France had it worse. The 35.9 Mhl harvest sits about 16% below the five-year average, one of the smallest French harvests in decades. Spain faced drought and heat for a third straight year.

That weather gap explains more of the ranking than winemaking policy does. Mild spring, balanced rainfall, a summer that didn’t get out of hand: Italy got the weather this year. France and Spain didn’t.

Production isn’t the same as market strength

One thing most posts sharing this chart leave out: producing more doesn’t mean a stronger position. Italian wine sales actually fell 2.8% in 2025, driven by weaker exports. Global consumption dropped 2.7% to 208 Mhl while production edged up. That gap between what gets made and what gets drunk is the real story here, more than the ranking itself.

Italy also remains the world’s largest wine exporter by volume, at 21 million hectoliters. By value it ranks second, behind France.

Frequently asked questions

Which country is the largest wine producer in 2025?

Italy, at 47.4 million hectolitres, 8 percent up on 2024. France follows with 35.9 Mhl (down 1 percent) and Spain with 29.4 Mhl (down 1.4 percent). Together the three account for almost half of world production.

Why is Italy out-producing France this year?

Mostly the weather. Italy had a mild spring, balanced rainfall and a summer that stayed in hand, with production in the south recovering by 19 percent. The French harvest came in roughly 16 percent below the five-year average, one of the smallest in decades, while Spain faced drought and heat for the third year running.

Does producing more mean a stronger market position?

No, and that is the caveat missing from most coverage of these figures. Italian wine sales actually fell 2.8 percent in 2025, largely on weaker exports, while global consumption dropped 2.7 percent to 208 Mhl. Italy is the largest exporter by volume at 21 million hectolitres, but by value it ranks second behind France.

Sources

• Primary source: American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE), “The World’s Main Wine Producers, 2025”, LinkedIn, accessed July 6, 2026
• Additional: OIV World Wine Production Outlook 2025
• Additional: OIV State of the World Wine Sector in 2025