Brazil’s wine exports rose 23.7% to $6.79 million in the first half of 2026

Brazil’s exports of still and sparkling wine reached $6.79 million in the first half of 2026, up23.7% from the same period a year earlier, as producers step up efforts to expand in China and other foreign markets, according to data from Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services cited Monday by Chinese media reports based on Xinhua dispatches.

The increase means Brazil sold about $1.3 million more wine and sparkling wine abroad than in the first six months of 2025, when exports were roughly $5.49 million. The reports said wine accounted for most of the total. No export volume in liters was disclosed.

The export growth is modest in absolute terms, but it comes as Brazil’s wine industry works to raise its profile overseas and diversify beyond its domestic market. Industry representatives said China has become a strategic target for that effort, not only for wine and sparkling wine but also for grape juice.

Rafael Romagna, export promotion manager at Consevitis-RS, an institute tied to the wine sector in Rio Grande do Sul state, told Xinhua that Brazil should treat China as a market that needs to be developed over the long term. He said the work goes beyond finding immediate sales and includes brand building, wider distribution, and closer ties with consumers, importers, and distributors.

That strategy is being carried out in part through the Wines of Brazil internationalization project, a joint effort by Brazil’s trade and investment promotion agency and Consevitis. The program supports Brazilian wine brands seeking entry into foreign markets and includes participation in trade fairs such as ProWine Shanghai, where producers can meet Chinese buyers, importers, and distributors.

The Chinese reports said interest in Brazilian grape juice has also been rising, especially for products from Serra Gaúcha in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s main wine-producing region. Industry officials see that demand as another way to increase the country’s presence in China, where Brazilian products are still far less established than those from larger South American exporters.

Brazil exported grape juice, wine, and sparkling wine to 79 countries this year, according to the same ministry data. That was a20.4% increase in the number of destination markets from 2025, indicating that producers are broadening their international reach even if export values remain small compared with major global suppliers.

The sector’s push comes as Brazil tries to gain ground against better-known regional competitors such as Chile and Argentina, which have stronger international wine brands and a longer export track record. Brazil remains an important wine producer in Latin America, with production centers not only in Rio Grande do Sul but also in parts of São Paulo, the mountain areas of Santa Catarina, and Pernambuco.

Industry officials argue that the country’s premium wines and sparkling wines have improved their international standing in recent years, helped by awards in foreign competitions and more organized export promotion. Even so, the ministry figures released in the Chinese reports show that Brazil’s overseas sales of wine and sparkling wine are still at an early stage, with revenue below $7 million in the first six months of the year.

The reports did not break out how much of the $6.79 million went specifically to China, and they did not provide data on shipment volume, average export prices, or exchange-rate effects. That leaves open how much of the increase came from higher quantities shipped and how much came from pricing or product mix.

On the Chinese side, customs data cited by the Portuguese-language People’s Daily website showed that China imported 119 million liters of wine from January through July, worth $889 million. That was a1.25% increase in value from the same period of 2025, while the average import price rose14.27% to $7.43 per liter. Those figures suggest that Brazil’s producers are targeting a market that remains large in absolute terms, even as competition is intense and recent growth has been limited.