Today’s biggest wine news is that Spain is projected to overtake France as the world’s largest wine producer by 2015 unless they can turn things around. The AP article cited several reasons for the shift in power. One issue is that the French just aren’t drinking as much wine. The trend is seen in younger citizens and is contributed to the ban of wine advertising in French media. Another explanation appears to arise from increased marketing and innovative labeling and packaging from other distributers. The market has changed, and the French have failed to keep up with the new trends, relying on tradition and prestige to carry them through. Spain does have the larger wine-making area, so it’s understandable that they would produce more wine.

However, they have do have to sell that wine. Spain has worked really hard on marketing their wine as a country, with great success. However, the French are still divided into regions and have yet to come together to market their wines on a world wide scale. While regions like Bordeaux and Champagne are seeing record sales, the lesser known regions are hurting, and in many cases having to sell excess wine for use in disinfectants and gas additives. Eric Rosaz, director of France’s independent wine producers association, is doing what he can to prevent the Spanish takeover. He says plans are in place, but more needs to be done to improve the country’s “dynamism” in the wine market.

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