ITALIAN WINE IMPORTS TO THE U.S. SKYROCKET: IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 2007, +18.3% IN QUANTITY AND +18.1% IN VALUE (COMPARED TO 2006). DATA FROM ITALIAN WINE & FOOD INSTITUTE

For the January-February 2007 period, Italian wine imports to the U.S. registered an increase in quantity of 18.3% and 18.1% in value (compared to 2006). This was noted in a recent report by Lucio Caputo, president of the Italian Wine & Food Institute.
This means that Italy maintains its first place position among the primary exporters to the U.S. in terms of value, with over 145.4 million dollars, and second place for quantity, with 304,350 hectoliters versus 370,640 hectoliters from Australia (this includes over 93,250 hectoliters of bulk wine).

Imports from Australia have registered and increase of 14.5% in quantity and 11.5% in value; imports from France have actually decreased by 2.9% in quantity but increased by 4.3% in value; Chile has registered an increase of 8.2% in quantity and 15.2% in value; and Argentina has registered a good 132.5% increase in quantity (over 77% of wines imported from Argentina are low cost bulk wines) and 81.5% in value. Thanks to these exploits Argentina has now surpassed France to become the third largest wine supplier on the U.S. market.

In all, Italian wine imports to the U.S. over the January-February 2007 period totaled 304,450 hectoliters for a value of 145.42 million dollars, versus 257,210 hectoliters for a value of 123.17 million dollars for the same period in 2006; Australia registered a total 370,640 hectoliters for a value of 121.27 million dollars, versus 323,630 hectoliters and 108.79 million dollars; from France, a total of 122,190 hectoliters for a value of 99.99 million dollars, versus 125,880 hectoliters and 95.9 million dollars; Chile registered 81,800 hectoliters for a value of 25.53 million dollars, versus 75,570 hectoliters and 22.16 million dollars; and Argentina registered a total 167,550 hectoliters and 21.07 million dollars, versus 72,060 hectoliters for 11.6 million dollars.

The Italian Wine & Food Institute concluded by noting that “total U.S. imports in the first two months of 2007 reached 1,188,040 hectoliters for 485.96 million dollars, versus 969,910 hectoliters for 420.28 million dollars for the same period in 2006, an increase of 22.5% in quantity and 15.6% in value”.