Spain’s wine exports fell 15.8% in the first half of 2026

Spain’s wine exports fell sharply in the first half of 2026, with lower shipment volumes across most product categories and weaker sales in several major markets, according to Spanish Tax Agency data analyzed by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization, or OIVE.

From January through June, Spain exported 840 million liters of wine worth €1.3264 billion. That was down 15.8% in volume and 8.2% in value from the same period a year earlier. In absolute terms, exports were lower by 157.1 million liters and €118.2 million compared with the first half of 2025.

The decline extended into June, although the monthly drop was smaller than in earlier months. In June alone, Spanish wine exports totaled 158.9 million liters and €241.8 million, down 1.6% in volume and 5% in value from the same month in 2025.

OIVE’s breakdown shows that both packaged and bulk wine lost ground in the first six months of the year, with the setback more severe in bulk shipments. Packaged wine exports, which include sparkling wine, fortified wine, slightly sparkling wine, still wine in containers of up to 2 liters, and bag-in-box formats, fell to 371.9 million liters worth €1.0673 billion. Bulk wine exports, defined as wine shipped in containers of more than 10 liters, dropped to 468.1 million liters worth €259.1 million.

Even with lower sales, average export prices rose. Across all wine categories, the average price reached €1.58 per liter in the first half, up 9% from a year earlier. Bulk wine posted one of the largest increases in unit value, with its average price rising 10.2% to €0.55 per liter.

Among individual categories, still wines with a protected designation of origin, known in Spain as DOP, posted the largest loss in value. Exports of bottled DOP still wines fell 9.4% to €532.9 million and 13% in volume to 100.2 million liters. That segment alone accounted for a drop of €55.1 million in export revenue and 15 million liters in shipments.

Bulk wine recorded the largest decline in volume. Spain exported 468.1 million liters of bulk wine in the first half, down 21.1% from a year earlier, while value fell 13% to €259.1 million. The category lost 125 million liters and €38.9 million in absolute terms. Within bulk wine, unlabeled products remained the largest segment, but they also saw the steepest fall, with shipments down 24.7% to 300.7 million liters and value down 15.4% to €164.8 million.

Sparkling wine also weakened. Exports fell 8.8% in volume to 62.6 million liters and 8.4% in value to €214.8 million. Cava, which has its own customs classification, dropped 9.8% in value to €152.3 million and 7.4% in volume to 41.1 million liters. The rest of the sparkling category also declined, with value down 4.8% and volume down 11.4%.

Other packaged categories moved lower as well. Bottled wines with a protected geographical indication, or IGP, fell 12.6% in value to nearly €54 million and 14.8% in volume to 44.1 million liters. Fortified wines dropped 20% in value to €20.2 million and 22.6% in volume to 4 million liters. Unlabeled bottled wines slipped 2.2% in value to €99.5 million and 8.5% in volume to nearly 69 million liters. Slightly sparkling wines declined 4.1% in value to €15.8 million, though their volume rose 2% to 10.9 million liters.

Only a few categories posted growth. Bottled varietal wines were the strongest performer in value terms, rising 10.8% to €84.3 million, while volume increased 3.8% to 45.1 million liters. Bag-in-box wine also expanded, with exports up 7.1% in value to €45.9 million and 6.9% in volume to 35.9 million liters. OIVE said that was the highest interannual level on record for the format, based on the 12 months through June.

Trade patterns shifted in some key markets. In packaged non-sparkling wines, the United Kingdom overtook the United States in value and became Spain’s top market in the first half of 2026. Exports to the U.K. totaled €106.8 million, down 7.4%, and 36.6 million liters, down 3.4%. The U.K. was already the leading market by volume. The United States fell to second place by value, with purchases down 14.2% to €103.2 million, and ranked fourth by volume at 18.6 million liters, down 10.9%.

Among Spain’s 15 largest markets for packaged wines, Japan and Belgium were among the few to post gains in both value and volume. The report highlighted declines in France, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, and China.

The picture in bulk wine was different. Germany remained Spain’s largest foreign market for bulk shipments, ahead of France, with imports of 148.2 million liters worth €76.3 million in the first half. That represented declines of 17.8% in volume and 11.7% in value. France ranked second, taking 129.9 million liters worth €67.3 million, down 24.7% in volume and 16.4% in value. France also recorded the largest absolute reduction in purchases, buying 42.5 million fewer liters of Spanish bulk wine than a year earlier.

Portugal rose to third place among bulk wine destinations, moving ahead of Italy and Ivory Coast. Portuguese purchases reached 42.1 million liters, up 8.8%, while value rose 21.7% to €24.3 million. Italy posted one of the sharpest declines in the category, with imports from Spain down 54.2% in volume to 28.3 million liters and 54.1% in value to €13.8 million.

Sparkling wine markets also showed mixed results. The United States remained the top destination for Spanish sparkling wine despite a 17.4% drop in value to €29.8 million. Belgium ranked second at €25.1 million, down 9.1%. OIVE also pointed to sharp declines in Sweden and Mexico, while Russia and China posted increases.

The longer 12-month trend through June remained negative. From July 2025 through June 2026, Spain exported 1.7505 billion liters of wine worth €2.7814 billion. That was down 8.7% in volume and 6% in value from the previous 12-month period, with shipments falling by 165.8 million liters and revenue down by €177.8 million. The annual export volume stayed below 1.8 billion liters for the third straight month.