International trade in wine and vine products has grown significantly over the past two decades, as was revealed during the first edition of the Vine and Wine World Trade Forum, held earlier this month in Dijon, France.
While traditional winemaking economies, such as France, Italy and Spain, maintain their dominance in wine exports, “new world” winemakers, such as Australia, Chile and the United States, are also making major inroads.
International trade in wine and vine products has almost tripled over the past two decades with the total value steadily rising from US$ 17.7 billion in 2000 to over US$ 50 billion in 2021 and 2022. Wine accounted for the majority of this trade (76 per cent in 2022), while the remaining 24 per cent consisted of fresh and dried grapes and grape juice.
International trade has increasingly become a crucial component of the wine industry over the past two decades. While in 2000 approximately 22 per cent of wine production was traded internationally, by 2022 this proportion had nearly doubled, to 42 per cent.
This suggests that the focus of the wine industry has increasingly shifted towards international markets. The share of imported wine in global wine consumption grew from 25 to 45 per cent over the same period, indicating that consumer tastes have become more internationally diversified.
The “old world” continues to dominate wine exports, with France, Italy and Spain holding the top three positions in both value and volume. From the “new world,” Australia, Chile and the United States are the main suppliers in terms of value, although their shares in the international market remain smaller than those of the top three.
Source: WTO Secretariat