European Wine Exports to the U.S. Fell 11% in January
Lower volumes and weaker prices drove the decline as trade uncertainty weighed on a key market for European producers
2026-04-30
European wine exports to the United States fell sharply in January 2026, a sign that the market entered the year under pressure after a weak 2025 and amid renewed trade uncertainty. The European Commission’s EU Agri-Food Trade Monitor showed that wine exports from the European Union totaled €1 billion in January, down 11% from the same month a year earlier, a decline of €127 million. The drop was driven mainly by lower volumes, which fell 16%, and weaker prices, which were down 19% on shipments to the United States.
The figures point to a difficult start to the year for European producers that depend heavily on the American market. Wine and wine-based products made up 7% of total European agri-food exports in 2025 and ranked fourth among exported product groups. But in January, the broader export picture also softened. The European Union exported €17.5 billion in agri-food goods, down 9% from December and 8% from January 2025.
The United States remained one of Europe’s most important customers, but exports there fell more steeply than to most other major markets. Overall European agri-food exports to the U.S. dropped 25% from January 2025 to €1.8 billion. Shipments to the United Kingdom, the bloc’s largest trading partner in this category, also weakened, falling 7% to €4.1 billion.
For Italy, the slowdown was even more pronounced. Wine exports from Italy fell 18.7% in value in January to €470 million, according to WineNews analysis based on Istat data, while volumes declined 13.3% to 133 million hectoliters. Exports to the U.S. were down 35.2% in value, though that comparison was affected by a rush of buying early in 2025 as importers moved to avoid tariffs sought by President Donald Trump and later imposed.
Other European markets showed mixed results. Exports rose strongly to Singapore, Egypt and Iraq, but declined in Japan and Russia as well as in the United States and Britain. On the import side, the European Union brought in €14.4 billion worth of agri-food products in January, down 7% from December and 11% from January 2025, underscoring how trade conditions have become more difficult across the sector as producers and buyers adjust to shifting demand, prices and policy risks.
