Georgia’s Wine Exports Fell 7.2% by Volume in the First Seven Months of 2026

Georgia’s wine exports fell in both value and volume in the first seven months of 2026, according to data published this week by the country’s National Statistics Service, Geostat, and reported by NewsGeorgia and bm.ge. Export revenue reached $143.1 million from January through July, down 1.5% from a year earlier, while export volume dropped 7.2% to 46,017 tons.

The figures show a sharper decline in physical shipments than in export earnings. Based on the reported rates of decline, Georgia exported about 49,587 tons of wine in the same period last year and earned roughly $145.28 million. That means the country shipped about 3,570 fewer tons this year and took in around $2.18 million less in revenue.

The gap between the drop in volume and the smaller decline in value points to a rise in the average export value of Georgian wine. Using the Geostat totals, the average value increased to about $3,110 per ton this year from about $2,930 per ton in the same period last year, a gain of about 6.1%. That shift can reflect higher prices, a different mix of products, or a larger share of sales to markets that pay more.

The data matter because wine remains one of Georgia’s most important export products and one of the country’s best-known goods abroad. A decline in shipments can signal weaker demand, changes in buying patterns in key foreign markets, or a shift by exporters toward smaller volumes with better margins. In this case, the figures suggest that higher unit values helped offset part of the fall in tonnage.

Russia remained the main market for Georgian winemakers. NewsGeorgia, citing the Geostat data through bm.ge, said Russia still accounted for more than 60% of total exports. Sales to Russia fell 1.8% from a year earlier to $87.9 million, according to the report. That means Georgia’s wine sector continues to depend heavily on a single destination even as overall exports soften.

That dependence has long shaped the industry’s export risks. When a market takes such a large share of sales, even a modest decline can affect national totals. The first seven months of this year appear to fit that pattern. Even though the overall drop in export revenue was limited to 1.5%, the decline in volume was much larger, showing pressure on shipments despite some support from stronger average values.

The same report said Georgian wine fetched the highest average prices in the United States. The average export price there was $7.27 per liter, well above other major destinations. Turkey ranked second at about $4.4 per liter. Those figures suggest that smaller but higher-value markets may be helping Georgian exporters improve returns even while total shipments decline.

The report presented export volume mainly by weight rather than by liters in the main aggregate figures, which is important when comparing totals across markets. In trade reporting, movements in tons can differ from changes measured in liters because of packaging, product mix, and the way customs data are compiled. Even so, the broad picture is clear: Georgia sold less wine abroad in physical terms, but the average value of what it sold improved.

The country’s overall export performance in wine also shows a divergence between quantity and earnings that is closely watched by producers and traders. If exporters can sustain better prices, they may cushion the impact of weaker volumes. But if the volume decline continues, it could still weigh on production, logistics, and the broader rural economy linked to wine.

Georgia has spent years trying to expand beyond its traditional markets and build a stronger position in higher-priced destinations. The latest data suggest some progress on value, but not yet enough to prevent a year-over-year drop in total export revenue. The increase in average value per ton is significant because it shows exporters were able to earn more from each unit sold, even as total shipments fell.

The seven-month data do not by themselves explain the cause of the decline. They do, however, show that the contraction was much more severe in quantity than in cash terms. That pattern usually points to a market where pricing, product quality, destination mix, or branding has improved enough to absorb part of the shock from lower volumes.

For Georgian winemakers, the challenge now is whether that improvement in unit value can continue through the rest of the year. The industry enters the second half of 2026 with exports still below last year’s level, a smaller physical footprint in foreign markets, and a business model that remains strongly tied to demand from Russia while relying increasingly on premium pricing in other destinations.