In 2022 Italian wine starts off with the wind in its sails: in January exports +22% compared to 2021

After archiving a record-breaking 2021 - with 7.1 billion euros of wine shipped to markets around the world - the first month of 2022 confirms the positive trend, taking advantage of the wind at its back and enjoying the post-pandemic and pre-war enthusiasm, a convergence destined to change as early as February. Thus, in January, Italian wine exports reached 474 million euros, up 22% on January 2021 and +8.7% on 2019, the last year lived in normality. Among the main partners of Italy, Great Britain’s exploit, while China is the only one to mark a slight retreat, with Russia that, perhaps for the last time (at least in the medium term), continues on its path of growth, as reported by Istat data on foreign trade in January 2022, analyzed by WineNews.

Starting, as always, from the countries geographically closest to us, Switzerland, in the first month of 2022, imported 27 million euros of Italian wine (+14% compared to January 2021), Austria 8.8 million euros (+31%) and France, especially thanks to the performance of Prosecco (which closed 2021 with 25 million bottles shipped beyond the Alps) 12.7 million euros (+42%). A favorite destination in Old Europe remains Germany, which in January imported 71 million euros of wine from Italy (+2%), in line with the figure for January 2021. The Netherlands also did well, with 15.3 million euros of imports (+13%), as did Norway, with 6.7 million euros of Italian wine purchased in January 2022 (+26%), and Sweden, with 14.6 million euros (+17%). Even better is the United Kingdom, which seems to have absorbed the news of Brexit and in January imported 50.6 million euros of Italian wine (+94.6%). Russia, as mentioned, continues to do well, with 9 million euros (+36%).

Overseas, the long march of Italian wine in the United States continues, with shipments reaching 117 million euros in January 2022 (+11% on January 2021). The export trend towards Canada is also positive, with 31.5 million euros (+23%). In Asia, if on the one hand there is to be recorded the braking of China, at 6.8 million euros (-5.5% on January 2021 and -26% on January 2019), on the other hand come confirmation from all other fronts. Japan flies at 11.8 million euros, up +34% on January 2021, South Korea imported just over 4 million euros of Italian wine (+14%), and Hong Kong 1.6 million euros (+43%).