Export, Italian wine “recovers” in February 2026 at -13.3% in value on 2025 (1 billion euros)

A continued downward trend which remains a source of concern, with a clear slowdown in 2025, but with an impact, in percentage terms, lower than that recorded in the previous month, which brings at least a slight sense of confidence. Italian wine exports, according to Istat data released today and analyzed by WineNews, amount to 1 billion euros in value in the cumulative figure for February 2026, marking a -13.3% compared to the same period in 2025. If the first “bulletin”, that of January 2026, showed -18.7% in value, the figure for the single month of February stands at -8.2%, showing, despite the many difficulties which can’t be overlooked, signs of improvement. Volumes also show a notable jump, recovering much of the gap accumulated in the previous month: in total, they reach 158 million hectoliters in February 2026, -3.2% compared to the first two months of 2025 (but one must not forget the -13.3% of January 2026).
This snapshot can be closely aligned with the data from the United States, which dropped to 243.4 million euros in value in the first two months of 2026, with a sharp -27.48% compared to 2025 (though it was -35.2% in January 2026), confirming it as by far the primary reference market for Italian wine. Volumes, meanwhile, reached 27.3 million hectoliters (-11.5%), a percentage which improves on the -19.3% recorded in January 2026. A similar trend is seen in Germany, the leading European destination for Italian wine, which approaches 162.7 million euros in exports, dropping by -9.1% compared to the same period in 2025, but improving from January 2026 (when it was -15.1%). The United Kingdom follows with 93.4 million euros (-12.9%), recovering from -18.6% in January 2026, and Canada which, with 60.78 million euros in imports, stands at -2.5%, improving by 6 percentage points compared to the previous month. The trend - a sharp decline in the first two months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, but with improvements recorded between January and February 2026 - thus appears to be a constant across all major partners (at least the top 5), although exceptions are not missing.
Looking, however, at the cumulative figures for February 2026, Switzerland stands at 50.5 million euros in value (-15.3%), while France worsens compared to the previous month, settling at 39.1 million euros (-4.1%), the Netherlands reached 34.27 million euros (-8.6%), and Belgium at 29.6 million euros (-17.5%). Regarding third-country markets, Japan declined to 24.5 million euros (-8.3%), being overtaken by Russia, which instead grew significantly (+45.2%) to 29.1 million euros. Positive confirmation, following the signals of January 2026, also comes from China at 10.6 million euros (+13.6%).
Thus, 2026 continues to be a difficult year for Italian wine, even though some timid signs of improvement are visible compared to January 2026, a month which was likely particularly influenced, in comparison with January 2025, by fears of impending tariffs which prompted the United States to increase wine purchases. Significant markets such as Russia and China, with clear potential given their vast territories and large populations, are returning to growth, and this is an important factor. However, many uncertainties remain, from international tensions and trade barriers to changing consumption trends, factors which may influence, for better or worse, Italian wine exports in the coming months.