The global wine industry involves two distinct activities, viticulture and winemaking. Viticulture is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes and winemaking is the production of an alcoholic beverage via the crushing and fermentation of grapes. The spatial distribution of winemaking is now known as to be either old world or new world and the characteristics of these different areas determine the kind of wine and also quality of the wine produced. Looking into the future of the viticulture and winemaking industries the challenges they are expected to encounter are complex.
The worlds major grape growing regions are located between 30 and 50 degrees of latitude, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. It is also ideal for all regions to have average temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius and also to have suitable rainfall. Grapes are, however, sometimes growth beyond this range and wine is often made in some very unexpected places. In these areas grape growers have been able to adapt to the natural conditions.
New world wines are those produced in the parts of the world where in the 15th-18th centuries were colonised by the European’s, these include South Africa, Chile, Argentina, China, Australia, New Zealand and also USA, which has risen to become the 2nd biggest consumer in the world. These countries have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, driven by success in export markets and it has resulted in an increase in market share. Old world wines are those produced in the traditional winemaking regions of Europe. Europe remains the world’s biggest wine producer where France, Italy and Spain make up 58% of global output alone.
Differences between these two worlds have emerges as the wine industry has become increasingly globalised. Old world wines are usually made using grapes grown on a particular vineyard or in a specific