Rising wine consumption in China has helped red grape varieties to claim a bigger share of the world's vineyard land than white, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot now the most widely planted, new research shows.
Cabernet Sauvignon has replaced Spain's Airen as the world's most popular grape variety. There were close to 300,000 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon planted around the world in 2010, up from just over 100,000 two decades ago, shows a University of Adelaide study.
It claims to be a first-of-its-kind report charting plantings across 44 countries accounting for 99% of global wine production.
In that time, Merlot has joined Cabernet Sauvignon at the top of the plantings league, moving into second place. Spanish variety Tempranillo is the fastest growing variety in terms of new plantings, shows the research, highlighting how red varieties have come to the fore in the past 10 years.
Globally, red varieties accounted for 55% of global vineyard area in 2010, up from 49% in 2000, and consumer demand in China has played a large part in that growth, according to researchers.
'This is consistent with what we know about changes in wine consumption, with numerous countries moving away from white and consumption rising in recent years in China, where red wine is preferred,' the researchers said. It's a trend that is also reflected in China's emerging vineyards, which are 96% planted with red varieties, the study found.
In terms of global plantings, big losers over the past two decades have been Airen, Trebbiano Toscano, Mazuelo and Rkatsiteli, with many vines either ripped out or replaced in the 1990s.
But, the study has also served as a warning over shrinking diversity on the world wine scene. 'Also of concern is that the diversity of wine grapes is narrowing to a few "international" varieties,' said the researchers.
Their study shows that, in 2010, the top 35 grape varieties made up two thirds of the world's winegrape growing area, versus 59% in 2000.
The top 10 grape variety plantings worldwide in 2010:
1. Cabernet Sauvignon
2. Merlot
3. Airen
4. Tempranillo
5. Chardonnay
6. Syrah
7. Garnacha Tinta
8. Sauvignon Blanc
9. Trebbiano Toscano
10. Pinot Noir
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