Global Wine Imports Fell 7.9% in the First Quarter

Global wine trade fell sharply in the first quarter of 2026, with imports dropping 7.9% in volume and 7.5% in value from a year earlier, according to customs data from multiple countries analyzed by Spain’s Interprofessional Wine Organization, known as OIVE.

Worldwide wine trade totaled 2.09 billion liters and €7.41 billion in the January-to-March period, down by 180.7 million liters and €600.1 million from the first quarter of 2025. The average price rose slightly to €3.54 a liter, up by €0.02.

The decline was broad across categories. Packaged wine, still the largest segment in global trade, fell 8.5% in value to €4.94 billion and 3.5% in volume to 1.07 billion liters. That category alone accounted for a drop of €457.9 million and 38.8 million liters compared with the same period last year.

Sparkling wine also weakened, though less sharply, slipping 1.4% in value to €1.71 billion and 0.9% in volume to 217.2 million liters. Bulk wine posted one of the steepest declines, falling 15.3% in value to €581.2 million and 15.5% in volume to 720.4 million liters, a loss of €104.8 million and 132.3 million liters year over year. Bag-in-box wines declined 5.3% in value to €152.8 million and 4.2% in volume to nearly 78 million liters.

The United States remained the world’s largest wine import market by value despite a steep contraction. U.S. imports fell 38.8% to €1.07 billion in the first quarter, a reduction of €677 million from the same period in 2025. In volume terms, the United States ranked second, with 260.9 million liters imported, down 20.5%.

OIVE linked that drop in U.S. imports to unusually strong purchases of French, Italian and Spanish wines at the start of 2025, when importers accelerated buying ahead of possible tariffs. Those tariffs were later set at 15% in August 2025 and remain in force.

Germany kept its position as the leading wine importer by volume, with 289.5 million liters, down 7.9%. By value, Germany ranked third behind the United States and the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom, the second-largest market by value and third by volume, also recorded lower imports in the quarter. Wine imports there fell 5.9% in value to €850.1 million and 4.1% in volume to 244.7 million liters, equivalent to declines of €53 million and 10.6 million liters from a year earlier.

Among the world’s 15 largest wine importers, only Russia and Denmark posted growth in both value and volume during the quarter. Russia increased imports by 29.5% in value and 43% in volume, while Denmark rose 9.4% in value and 5.3% in volume.

Outside those two markets, Singapore recorded growth in value and Japan posted an increase in volume, but most major destinations showed declines as weaker demand and inventory adjustments weighed on trade flows after a volatile 2025.

The figures point to a difficult start to the year for exporters across major producing countries, especially those exposed to the U.S. market, where tariff policy and earlier stock-building continue to distort buying patterns well into 2026.