Italian Wine Exports Face Uneven Recovery as US and Canada Offset European and Asian Declines

Italian wine exports in the first half of 2025 show a fragile balance, according to the latest Istat data analyzed by WineNews. The numbers, updated through June, indicate a slight improvement compared to earlier in the year, but the sector remains in negative territory when compared to the same period in 2024. Export value dropped by 0.4 percent, reaching 3.8 billion euros, while volume fell by 3.1 percent, surpassing one billion liters shipped abroad. These figures are less severe than those recorded in May, when value was down 0.8 percent and volume had fallen by 3.8 percent.

The United States and Canada continue to be bright spots for Italian wine, despite ongoing trade tensions and increased tariffs. U.S. tariffs on Italian wine rose from 10 percent to 15 percent in early August, but American demand remains strong. In the first six months of 2025, exports to the U.S. reached 988.4 million euros, up 5.2 percent from the same period last year, with volumes also increasing by 1.1 percent to nearly 180 million liters. Canada posted even stronger growth, with export value rising by 12.8 percent to 197.7 million euros and volume up by 6.6 percent to almost 35 million liters.

In contrast, several key European and Asian markets have slowed or declined. Germany, the leading European market for Italian wine, saw export value fall by 1.8 percent to 573.2 million euros and volume drop sharply by 7.4 percent to just under 235 million liters. The United Kingdom remained Italy’s third-largest market but also declined: value fell by 4.5 percent to 370.1 million euros and volume slipped by 2.1 percent to 118 million liters.

Elsewhere in Europe, Switzerland held steady with a slight increase of 0.4 percent in value to nearly 195 million euros, while France continued its positive trend with imports of Italian wine rising by almost two percent to reach 158 million euros in value during the first half of the year.

Other European countries showed mixed results: the Netherlands grew slightly at +0.8 percent (125 million euros), Belgium dipped by half a percentage point (106.7 million euros), and Sweden dropped by 2.7 percent (96.8 million euros). In Asia, Japan’s imports of Italian wine fell sharply by 7.4 percent to just under 88 million euros.

Russia experienced one of the steepest declines among major markets, with export value plummeting by more than a third (-37.5 percent) to just over 75 million euros—a loss of more than 45 million euros compared to January-June last year—while Austria also saw a decrease of over four percent.

China continues to disappoint Italian producers as exports there dropped by nearly a quarter (-21.7 percent) to just under 34 million euros for the first half of the year, allowing Australia (34.5 million euros) and South Korea (26.3 million euros) to close the gap or surpass China as destinations for Italian wine.

Sparkling wines showed some resilience after a difficult start to the year: their export value improved from -1 percent in May to -0.4 percent in June, totaling one billion euros; volumes turned positive at +0.1 percent, reaching over 254 million liters.

Brazil remains a small but growing market for Italian wine exports at nearly 19 million euros (+5.5 percent), though growth slowed compared to May figures.

Despite these challenges and uncertainties—including global economic instability and shifting trade policies—Italian wine exports have managed to maintain a level close to last year’s record numbers at mid-year, especially in terms of value. However, industry observers note that this equilibrium is precarious given ongoing crises and market volatility worldwide.