The continent of Asia comprises 47 countries covering 44,614,500 square kilometres, which corresponds to around one third of the Earth's total land area, and has a population of around 4.75 billion. In ancient times and during antiquity, the advanced civilisations of the Near and Middle East such as Assyria, Babylonia and Mesopotamia were the most important founders, making Asia the cradle of viticulture and wine culture. Most of the yields are used for table grapes , sultanas and distillation. However, a relatively large amount of wine is imported. Traditionally, spirits such as arrack are very popular in many countries.
Vines are cultivated in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Japan, Yemen, Jordan, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia (partly Europe), Sri Lanka, South Korea, Syria, Tajikistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Turkey (partly Europe), Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Cyprus.
In 2022, the area under vines worldwide totalled 7,254,512 hectares, which at around 73,000 km² is relatively close to the size of Austria (84,000 km²). This refers to all uses such as wine, grape juice, table grapes and sultanas, including young vines that are not yet in production.
A total of around 80 million tonnes of grapes were harvested worldwide. Around 47% were wine grapes (table grapes 45%, sultanas 8%), of which 258 million hectolitres of wine were produced. This corresponds to 34.4 billion 0.75-litre bottles.
Asian countries accounted for 1.8 million hectares of vineyards (24%) and 15.5 million hectolitres of wine (6%).
The geographical areas where quality viticulture is possible under optimal conditions and vines can thrive are known as the vine belt. This is where 95% of the most important areas are located. They lie from 40 to 50 degrees north and from 30 to 40 degrees south. However, there are also vineyards in between, mostly in higher areas. The criteria for the suitability of a region for viticulture are referred to as viticultural suitability.
See further country lists under Africa, America, Equator, Europe, European Union, New World, Oceania, South America, Tropics and USA, as well as a table of all countries under Wine production volumes (vineyard areas and wine volumes).
Vine belt: Der Winzer 1 - Viticulture, Ulmer Verlag 2019, 4th edition
Map: por TUBS - adaptados de esta: China in Asia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Enllaz
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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg