The Cheapest Country for Wine is Portugal... Average Price per Bottle is 5,500 Won

"South Korea, the 3rd Most Expensive Country for Wine"
"Mid-range Wines Show Small Quality Differences Compared to Price Differences"

The country with the lowest average wine price worldwide was found to be Portugal. The average price of a mid-range bottle of wine in Portugal is about 5,500 won, which is only a quarter of the average wine price in South Korea. For regular wines rather than premium ones, the quality difference is not significant, so experts recommend purchasing directly from regions where prices are cheaper.

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According to CNBC on the 27th (local time), Compare my jet, a private jet rental company, compiled global wine prices and found that Portugal has the cheapest mid-range wine, with an average price of 3.49 pounds (about 5,500 won) per bottle. Portugal was also selected as the country with the highest per capita wine production in the world, producing 74 bottles per 1,000 people.

Conversely, the country with the most expensive wine was Iceland, with an average price of 14.97 pounds (about 23,700 won), followed by Norway (14.35 pounds) and South Korea (12.79 pounds). Overall, regions with low wine production and high living costs tend to have higher wine prices.

According to CNBC, professional sommeliers argue that since the quality difference in mid-range wines is not large, it is advantageous to purchase from cheaper regions.

Mark Osborne, senior sommelier at Sommselect, a wine subscription specialist, explained in an interview with CNBC, "To buy good wine at a good price, it is better to look for wines in lesser-known places," adding, "Recognition of brands can raise prices, so lesser-known regions tend to cost less than more popular areas."

Meanwhile, red wine is known to be the most popular wine globally, especially in the Americas and Asia. Americans searched for red wine 90,500 times per month online, followed by Mexico with 49,500 times, the UK with 27,100 times, and Japan with 18,100 times.

Other popular wines include sparkling wines such as Champagne. In Germany, sparkling wine was searched 27,100 times per month, Finland 3,600 times, and Austria 2,900 times. In Eastern and Northern Europe, sparkling wine is known to be preferred over red wine.