One man’s wine is another man’s whine, or so the saying doesn’t go. And while wine tastes are quite subjective, France has been declared the best winemaking country in the world, according to research by Maxima Kitchen Equipment.
The top three countries won more than 60 per cent of the world’s wine awards over the past three years, including the International Wine Challenge, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Sommeliers Choice Awards, and Decanter Awards.
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France earned 851 of top awards at all ceremonies, 24 per cent of the total medals won by countries on the list. Well-known for winemaking regions all over the country, with Bordeaux being famous for red wines such as Merlot, and Champagne producing the well-loved namesake sparkling wine.
Spain, in second, won 22 per cent of the total top awards. Famous wines from Spain include Cava, Rioja and Grenache.
Italy received 512 top medals, or 14.5 per cent of the total awards earned by countries on the list. Italy is well known for red wines such as Chianti and Barolo and its sparkling wine, Prosecco.
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Portugal performed well at all the ceremonies, winning 12.6 per cent of the highest awards on the list placing in the top five medal earners in three competitions.
In fifth, the USA becomes the first non-European country to appear on the list, having won 352 gongs, just below 10 per cent of the total awards given to countries on the list.
Australia came in sixth, with 133 of the 3540 awards given to the countries on the list, or 3.76 per cent of the total awards earned.
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The first South American country to appear on the list, Chile, ranked seventh, with 2.88 per cent of the highest medals won by countries.
South Africa is the only African country to appear on the list in eighth place, with 93 awards. Greece came in at ninth with 59 top honours from the ceremonies and Argentina rounded out the top 10 with 51 top medals won.
“Wine is a favourite drink worldwide, with 23.4 billion litres being consumed a year, and has been in Europe for thousands of years. It is fascinating to see how well different countries around the world are at making wine,” said a Maxima Kitchen Equipment spokesperson.
“The data shows that France is the best country for wine, and is one of four Mediterranean countries in the top 10, showing how vital climate is for producing wine.”
What do you think of these rankings? Where have you had the best wine? Why not share your suggestions in the comments section below?
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