(Forbes) - The latest numbers of the world wine industry has just been announced by the OIV. Here are the key points for the development in 2015, compared to 2014:

- The world’s vineyard area is almost unchanged, at 7.5 million hectares (18.5 million acres).

- The global wine production is marginally up, to 274 million hectolitres (up 2.2%).

- The consumption of wine world-wide is stable at 240 million hectolitres.

- The wine trade: the world of wine is becoming increasingly international with 43% of all wine is consumed in another country than where it is produced.

In other words, 2015 is a year of stability and consolidation, without any big surprises in the world wine industry. But let’s take a closer look at some of the data.

Jean-Marie Aurand, director general of the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) presented the latest world wine business data on a press conference. Here is a summary of some of the key points.

The world’s vineyard surface area:

Yes, the world acreage of vines is stable at 7.534 million hectares planted with vines (18.62 M acres), which is a very marginal decrease from 7.541 Mha in 2014. But there is a long term shift in where the vines are grown.

The “traditional” old-world wine producing countries have over many years been steadily decreasing the vineyard acreage. This is not least due to the grubbing up scheme that was in place in the EU until fairly recently. There was an oversupply of wine (due to too much subsidies) and farmers were encouraged to tear up their vines with a grubbing-up premium. Since that vine destruction scheme was finished the decline has been less dramatic. Both Spain and France now have a stable vineyard surface area.

The winners are instead some countries outside of Europe that have been increasing their vineyard plantings.

Nevertheless, Spain remains comfortably in the lead as the country with the biggest vineyard acreage with just over one million hectares of vines (2.5 million acres).