QUALITY INCREASINGLY INFLUENCES ITALIAN WINE EXPORTS IN THE WORLD, BUT BULK WINE HAS A SIGNIFICANT 25% SHARE. WORLDWIDE TANK SHIPMENTS REPRESENT 38.6% OF THE TOTAL AND AVERAGE PRICES ARE GROWING

Italian wine exports in the world focus more and more on quality, so that 14% of shipments in 2015 were sparkling wines, 61% bottled still wines, while bulk wine still resists at 25%, lower than 35% in 2005, but still relevant. The main players on this market are Germany at 9 million hectoliters, and France, which each year imports 6 million hectoliters of bulk wine from abroad that consequently end up as private label wines in large- scale distribution chains, representing 35% of consumption in France. However, 83% of the imported 6 million hectoliters come from Spain, which is way above Italy, and also guaranteeing 36% average lower prices compared to Italy’s bulk wines.
According to "Wine by Numbers" the UIV - Italian Wine Union data, in 2015, one liter was paid 0.73 euro, for a total of 492 million liters shipped (12.5% less than in 2014) and a turnover of 358 million euro (9.7% less compared to 2014).
To better understand the importance of bulk wine, consider that in 2015, globally, exports reached 39.49 million hectoliters, that is, 38.6% of all wine exports, for a overall marketed volume of 102.43 million liters, 71% more than in 2000 (59.99 million liters), a 70%, increase in value for an average price of 0.71 euros per liter, 16%more than in 2000. These data are from the World Bulk Wine Exhibition, the international show of bulk wine held every year in Amsterdam (www.worldbulkwine.com).
In France, as all over the world, the strength of bulk wine is large-scale distribution chains that focus on simple but technically impeccable wines, which offer the possibility to respond quickly to market needs.
And quality is not compromised, because, for example, in 2015, the Spanish market traded 13.9 million hectoliters, for a turnover of 504 million euros, at an average price of 0.36 euro per liter. But, 17% (2.4 million liters) were classified as quality wines that generated revenue of 122 million euros, nearly 25% of the total. PDO wines, in fact, traded at 1.10 euros per liter, compared to 0.36 euros for the single variety. Spain is not the only bulk wine exporter, though it is the number one world exporter.
The countries that are doing well at the mid price level are New Zealand (2.47 euros per liter), France (1.36 euros per liter), Germany (1.27 euros per liter) and the US (1.16 euros per liter).