Italian PDO Wine Exports Fell 6.2% in Early 2026

Italian exports of protected designation of origin wines fell in the first four months of 2026, adding to signs of a weaker year for Europe’s leading wine producers as demand slows and red wines remain under pressure.

Data cited from Nomisma Wine Monitor show that Italy exported €1.5 billion worth of PDO wines from January through April, down 6.2% from the same period in 2025. Export volumes totaled 318.9 million liters, a 3% decline. The figures point to a softer market ahead of the new harvest and reflect broader weakness across major European wine exporters.

Italy was not alone. France posted a 3.4% drop in PDO wine export value in the same period, while Germany fell 5.5% and Spain declined 8.5%. The pattern suggests that the slowdown is not limited to one country or one region. Analysts say the market is being weighed down by sluggish consumption and by a sharp slowdown in the United States linked to tariffs, one of the main pressures on trade this year.

The Italian data also show a split market by category. Sparkling and some white wines have held up better than still reds, which continue to face weaker demand after years of changing consumer preferences in many export markets. That divide matters across the beverage business because it can shape production plans, pricing, distributor strategy and shelf space, especially for companies that sell across wine, sparkling wine and other alcohol categories.

Prosecco remained Italy’s top PDO export by a wide margin. Exports reached €506.7 million and 120 million liters in the first four months of the year. That was down 3.9% in value and 0.8% in volume from a year earlier. Its average export price slipped 3.1% to €4.22 per liter.

Tuscan still red wines ranked next, with exports worth €202.9 million, down 10.2% in value and 5.1% in volume. Piedmont still red wines brought in €123.9 million. Their export value fell 2.5%, but volumes rose 8.8%, suggesting price pressure even where shipments increased.

Among white wines, still whites from Veneto reached €103.2 million, down 4.7% in value and 3.5% in volume. Still whites from South Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia totaled €86.4 million, a drop of 16.5% in value, while volumes fell 5.2% to 16.7 million liters.

PDO semi-sparkling wines exported from Italy generated €65.1 million, down 8.3% in value and 4.6% in volume.

One of the few brighter spots was Asti Spumante, which rebounded after a difficult 2025. Exports rose to €42.1 million, up 19.6% in value and 0.9% in volume. Its average export price increased 18.5% to €4.65 per liter. The recovery was helped by demand from China, where sparkling wine remains a niche segment but consumption has been growing.

Regional results inside Italy also showed uneven demand. Sicilian still red wines fell to €20.6 million in exports, down 9.2%, while volumes dropped 11.8% to 5.1 million liters. Sicilian white wines moved in the opposite direction, rising to €15.4 million, up 2.8% in value and 0.4% in volume. Tuscan white wines also posted gains, reaching €7.8 million, up 3.3% in value despite a 4.9% decline in volume.

France remained the largest exporter by value among the countries covered by the report, with PDO wine exports totaling €2.8 billion from January through April, down 3.4%. It was the only major exporter to post volume growth, with shipments rising 1.5% to 182.5 million liters, though its average export price fell 4.9% to €15.40 per liter.

Champagne accounted for more than €1 billion of French PDO exports during the period, nearly flat at -0.2%, while volumes rose 2.7% to 32.4 million liters. Its average export price declined 2.9% to €33.58 per liter but remained far above most other categories.

French Crémant also performed well by value, rising 19.4% to €95.7 million despite lower volumes.

In still wines, Burgundy red PDO wines increased 2.7% in export value to €230.9 million even as volumes fell 2.9%. Bordeaux reds continued to weaken sharply, with export value dropping 18%, according to the report’s rounded figure, to €5451 million?