Netherlands

All Alcohol Types

Beer

7.8

3.6

2.8

1.5

0.0

Wine

Spirits

Other Beverages

The Randstad conurbation, which encompasses Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, has the highest population density in Europe. Moreover, by global and even European standards, this population is long-lived, highly educated, and affluent.

Add to this an abundance of businesses, including multinational corporations, a noticeable percentage of wealthy expatriates, and a well-developed gastronomic scene—and all of this goes a long way toward explaining the Netherlands' position in the wine country rankings.

This serves as another example of a nation developing its wine culture without a local tradition of production, driven instead by international trade, rising prosperity, urbanization, and education.