Forget about Italy and France. According to a new report, China has overtaken both countries to become the world's biggest consumer of red wine.
A reported conducted by the Vinexpo and The International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR), found that China has taken the 2013 top spot. The country consumed 1,865 billion bottles of red wine, which is equal to 155 million nine-litter cases, according to the New York Daily News.
France, which had the top spot last year, landed in second place with 150 million cases; and Italy slipped to third place with 141 million cases. Consumption rose 2.8 percent in China. It declined in France by 18 percent and by 5.8 percent in Italy between 2007 and 2013.
Over the last five years, China's consumption of wine has seen a 136 percent growth. According to Guillaume Deglise, the new CEO of Vinexpo, a Bordeaux wine and spirits trade association, the spike in consumption is due to the Chinese belief in wine's good fortune and health benefits.
"Red is the color of luck and good fortune and white is the color of death," Deglise told Reuters. "So you don't want to drink white, why would you?"
The Daily News reported that red represents luck, health and strength, making it a necessary drink at celebrations and large events, such as weddings and birthday parties.
Reuters reported the China is the fifth-largest consumer of all types of wine, with at least 80 percent of the wine Chinese citizens drink made in the country. Deglise also noted that there might be an increase in the consumption of white wines and champagne.
Reuters reported that since 2011, the United States has been the world's largest wine consumer with the amount expected to hit 385 million cases by 2017.
