Romania records highest increase in wine production in EU

Romania will record the highest increase in wine production in the European Union this year. The country will produce over 4.8 million hectoliters of wine, 28% more than last year, according to the latest estimate of the European Commission, cited by local Economica.net. Compared to the average of the last five years, the production will increase by 17%. The total wine production in the EU is estimated at 165.6 million hl, down 4.3% compared to last year. The production is also expected to be 1% below the average of the last five years. Italy, the largest producer in the EU, could lose 2% of its production this year compared to 2015, reaching 50 million hl. France, the second largest producer, will have a production of 42.9 million hl, 10% below the results of 2015. Romania remains the sixth largest wine producer in the EU. However, the country is last in EU for wine exports as only 4% of its production is exported. The largest exporters when compared to their national production are France (56% of its production), Bulgaria (53%), and Portugal (47%). editor@romania-insider.com