O.I.V. World Wine Report: Spain rising as exporter

In their March 2006 report on the state of the world's wine industry, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (O.I.V.) presented some interesting information on Spanish wine.
In terms of volume, Spain now ranks number 2 behind Italy as France drops to third position. This despite a trend of price decreases in non-denominated wines from Italy and France and prices holding steady for Spanish wines of similar class. The agency's expert reports that total area under actively producing vine in Spain dropped by 12 million hectares as EU efforts to eliminate excess (read low-end) wine production continue.