Italian wine exports to the US collapse. In April -7.5% in volume and -9.2% in value

The year 2024 has been hailed the year of records for Italian wine exports, while 2025 is on an uphill climb. Value is still in positive territory (+0.9%), though in sharp decline, while volumes have been in the red for months (in March -2.7%), as we reported recently, analyzing I STAT data. Obviously, rushing to buy before the US tariffs went into effect, in April, had “fooled” the market, presenting a reality that instead is now fading month after month, marked by a slowdown in purchases. We need to keep a close watch on the USA, since it is by far the most important partner for Italian wine. In the meantime, other leading Countries for exports are also slowing down, demonstrating that, perhaps, it is not just a question of tariffs, but the market, which for many reasons, seems to be changing. March was definitely a challenging month and now April has shown no sign of recovery. As a matter of fact, Italian wine exports to the United States in April registered -7.5% drop in volume and -9.2% in value (almost 154 million euros), and -2% average price decrease, as the Observatory of the Italian Wine Union (UIV) revealed. The Observatory processed export data in the first month subject to the Trump administration’s tariffs (from April 2nd to 8th, at 20%, then 10%). The month of April generated almost 154 million euros in value for exports to the USA, 666 million euros, considering the first four months of 2025. Regarding volumes, in April we have 29.1 million liters, 118 million liters total in the first four months of 2025. The average price, instead, is 5.64 euros per liter.
The UIV explained that the fall in April “caused the final figure for shipments in the four-month period to the USA to drop (+0.9% in volume) after last semester’s increase, caused by a rush to pre-duty stocks. In the same period, value performance dropped by half (+6.7%, 666 million euros, while just a month earlier it was +12.5%). The collapse had been predicted, the UIV said, making the overall situation on Extra-EU markets even more problematic, -9% in volumes and -2.4% in values”. According to the Observatory, without the driving force of the USA, in the four-month period, extra-European demand in volume would have dropped from 9% to -15% (-10% in value), showing double-digit decreases in the Asian area (Japan and China, South Korea instead is growing), and in Russia (-65%). The third leading market in the world, the United Kingdom, is also on a decline, and has lost 5 points in volume and more than 6 in value, while the fourth and fifth markets of Made in Italy are stable (Switzerland and Canada, which has grown more than 8% in volume).
The president of Unione Italiana Vini, Lamberto Frescobaldi, commented, “ for quite some time now, we have been looking at actual consumption and not just shipment data, which have just begun to level, after the obvious rush to stock. UIV believes that the increasingly evident market disparities must be addressed immediately - and this will be the key theme at the National assembly to be held on July 3rd - also in view of the next harvest”.