European Union, non-EU wine exports fall (-12%), but imports rise (+7%)

That the world wine market is not in great health at this historical stage is an established fact. And the European Union, which is by far the world’s leading producer, thanks to the “superpowers” Italy, France and Spain, but not only, of course, is suffering in terms of exports, which from data as of June 2024, on an annual basis, shows an overall drop of -12.3% in shipments to non-EU countries, amounting to 5.7 million hectoliters in the period considered, due mainly to double-digit decreases in France, Spain and Germany, but also, to a lesser extent, in Italy (which, however, has been recovering since the beginning of 2024) and Portugal. On the other hand, however, imports within the Union increased, and not by a small amount, to 8.7 million hectoliters, an increase of 7.2%, thanks mainly to the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy itself. This is said by Eurostat data, which testify to a picture of general distress manifested by all the main players in the sector.
In June 2024, in particular, wine exports from Italy outside the European Union fell by 8.5% year-on-year, to 1.77 million hectoliters, but significantly worse were Spain (1.7 million hectoliters, -13.3%) and France, (1.15 million hectoliters, -12.7%). Also in the negative (but quantitatively insignificant) were non-EU shipments from Germany (-15.1%, for 0.24 million hectoliters), and Portugal (-4.8%, for 0.29 million hectoliters). Exports from other EU countries, such as Austria, Greece and Hungary, were also bad, at -21.2%, for just 0.59 million hectoliters. On the other hand, as mentioned, the EU imported 8.7 million hectoliters of wine in June, up 7.2% year-on-year, the highest volume in two years. Taking the lion’s share, are the Netherlands, among the most important bulk wine sorting hubs in Europe, through the port of Amsterdam, where, not surprisingly, the “World Bulk Wine Exhibition” (staged, in 2024, on November 25 and 26) is held every year, which imported 5 million hectoliters of wine, a growth of 16.9%, while imports to Italy (even after the very poor 2023 vintage, ed.), more than doubled, at +116.9%, albeit for a modest quantity of 0.2 million hectoliters. Belgium’s (0.4 million hectoliters, +53.3%) also showed a sustained increase, but with limited volumes, while imports to Germany (1.08 million hectoliters, -7.1%), France (-13.1%, for 0.51 million hectoliters), Portugal (-45.9% to 0.17 million hectoliters), and the other EU countries imported a total of 1.3 million hectoliters, down -6%. With the growth of EU imports accompanied by a decline in exports, which is another sign of a wine market experiencing a phase of change that has yet to be deciphered.