Istat: in the first 10 months 2022 Italian wine shipments at 6.52 billion euros (+11.2%)

Italian wine exports in 2022 are set to exceed 8 billion euros, according to any kind of forecast, and Istat data on the first 10 months of last year, analyzed by WineNews, basically confirm the growth rates recorded since the first months of the year, with shipments reaching 6.52 billion euros, up 11.2% over the same period in 2021.

In essence, a mirror-image increase to that of inflation recorded in Italy in October (+11.8%), the result of a positive dynamic of the average price, given that in volume terms the figure for the first 10 months of 2022 is identical to that of the same period in 2021: 18 million hectoliters. In order to understand whether Italian wine has been able to anticipate - at least on foreign markets - what will be a necessity for every production sector in this 2023, namely to raise prices to absorb the increase in energy and raw material costs, it would be interesting and useful to know the composition of the export “basket”, and thus understand whether it is a real increase in the average price, or whether instead imports have involved higher quality wines.

Starting with the geographically closest markets, the 28 countries of the European Union are worth just under half of Italian wine shipments in the period: 3.2 billion euros (+12.1%). An important response from what is forecast to be the area of greatest difficulty in the coming months. Economic locomotive, of course, will still be Germany, a country that is particularly sensitive to price dynamics, where, however, Italian wine marks a growth of +5%, at 955 million euros. Great Britain also continues to run, despite the slowdown of the pound, which came in at 667 million euros of imports (+13.5%). Of note is the figure for Ireland, which has been in the eye of the storm for days for its decision (endorsed by the EU Commission) to include “health warnings” on alcohol labels, including wine: in the first 10 months 2022 it imported 38 million euros of Italian wine: +20%.

Switzerland is confirmed as the third European market, with 344 million euros, but with a much slower than average growth rate: +3.7%. France, our main competitor, continues to grow, set to close 2022 with 12.5 billion euros of wine exports, which imported 248 million euros of Italian wine (+27%) in the first ten months of last year. Good data from Belgium, a solid destination, which is worth 191 million euros of Italian wine imports (+9.3%), roughly the same numbers as the Netherlands, which comes in at 190 million euros (+7.3%). In Northern Europe, the picture is a chiaroscuro one: Sweden shows excellent growth, +11.9%, to 178 million euros, but Denmark and Norway end up in negative territory, with declines of -2.1% (130.8 million euros) and -3.4% (92.4 million euros), respectively. Surprisingly, given the dramatic historical moment and Moscow’s substantial political and economic isolation, shipments to Russia continue to grow: +4.6% to 120 million euros. Finally, as far as Europe is concerned, Austria, which marks an excellent +16.3%, at 107.5 million euros.

The point of reference in the world, however, is overseas, in the United States, which imported 1.59 billion euros of Italian wine (+8.8%) in the first 10 months of 2022. Confirmations also come from Canada, which comes in at 379 million euros, representing a growth of 16.7%. Nothing new, finally, on the Asian front, where Japan is the only happy exception, hoping, however, for a rebound and a recovery of imports since the next Istat surveys, when the effects of Beijing’s “everyone free” on the Covid front will presumably begin to be seen. Meanwhile, China marks yet another consecutive month of decline: -11.9%, to 92 million. South Korea also brakes, losing 2.1%, to 63.7 million euros, as does Hong Kong, which leaves 4.9% on the ground, and stands at 22.2 million euros. Much better, as anticipated, is Japan, which came in at 172.4 million euros of imported wine: up 29.3%.