When it comes to wine tourism, not all destinations are created equal. That is, according to Bounce’s Wine Lover’s Index 2023. Based on five indicators – wine consumption in the country, wine production in the country, vineyard area (as a percent of the country), number of tours and tastings, and average cost of a bottle – the index ranks the best destinations for wine and wine tourism.
As per Statista, 57 liters of wine are produced per person in Georgia, the vineyard area is 0.70% of the country's territory. The number of wine-tasting tours is 211 per million people, the average price of a bottle of wine is $5.91.
In 2023, Portugal topped the list as the world’s best location for wine tourism with a score of 8.83/10. In second place is Moldova, and while this may seem surprising, the small Eastern European country has a long history of winemaking. In fact, its total vineyard area represents almost 2 percent of the world’s total. In third and fourth place came Italy and Spain. Georgia closes the top five with 7.05 points and is ahead of France.
Of the top ten countries, only two are not in Europe, New Zealand (8th) and Chile (10th).