Where in the world would you find the thirstiest wine lovers?

Where would you expect to find the world's thirstiest wine lovers?

When it comes to global wine consumption, you’d expect France, Italy, or Spain to come out on top as the world’s biggest quaffers of alcoholic grape juice.

But it turns out the heaviest drinkers can be found on a tiny, remote island just off the coast of Australia. The people of Norfolk Island love a glass of wine or two, new data released by expat website Movehub reveals.

Norfolk Island is an Australian isle more than 1400km from the mainland and just 8km long. The locals spend more on wine per capita than anywhere else in the world, with the 1,500-strong population spending nearly $850 per year on vino. 

The findings came from Movehub’s annual Wine Consumption Study, which looked at the spending habits of people all over the world in both on and off-trade.

Each islander spends on average over £486 each year on wine, the equivalent of almost 78 bottles, or a magnum per week - also a global high.

Switzerland, where locals spent £462 per capita, was second, ahead of Bermuda, Sint Marteen and the Cayman Islands.

Norfolk Island was first settled by Polynesians, but was eventually settled by British migrants as part of its settlement of Australia from 1788.

Norfolk Island has just one winery; Two Chimneys, which was established by Rod and Noelene McAlpine in 2006. 

You'll find the full study results here: www.movehub.com/blog/wine-consumption-spend-worldwide