Italy supplied 51% of U.S. organic wine imports in 2025

Italy supplied 51% of the value of organic wine imported by the United States in 2025, reinforcing its lead in that segment even as the broader U.S. wine market has slowed, according to new findings presented in the first 2026 focus from Ita.Bio, a platform promoted by the Italian Trade Agency with support from FederBio and research by Nomisma.

The report, discussed on Friday, October 30, said the United States imported 35.6 million euros, or about $38.5 million at current exchange rates, of Italian organic wine in 2025. In the first eight months of 2026, the value of those purchases rose 2.2% from the same period a year earlier.

The figures point to continued demand for Italian organic wine in one of the world’s most important export markets. They also matter for the beverage industry more broadly because they suggest that imported wine suppliers still have room to grow in the U.S., especially in restaurants, while facing persistent barriers tied to pricing, shelf presence and consumer recognition.

Nomisma said 19% of survey respondents already drink Italian organic wine. Among those consumers, 71% said they see it as better than U.S. or French alternatives, citing taste, grape variety and Italy’s wine culture among the reasons.

The research also found potential for further growth. Roughly one in four consumers who do not currently buy Italian organic wine said they would be willing to try it in the future.

At the same time, the study identified several obstacles that help explain why interest does not always turn into purchases. Among consumers who buy organic products but not Italian organic products, 40% said prices were too high, 37% pointed to limited availability in their usual stores and 30% said they had difficulty identifying Italian organic products on shelves or in restaurants.

Those findings suggest that Italy’s strong import position does not automatically translate into broad visibility with U.S. consumers. For Italian wineries, the challenge is not only exporting bottles into the market, but also making those wines easy to find and easy to understand at the point of sale.

Nomisma’s survey was based on 1,000 people ages 18 to 65 who are responsible for food purchases in their households and live in New York and California. The report said that means the results reflect a limited sample and should not be extended to all U.S. consumers.

Even with that caution, the study pointed to restaurants as a possible channel for expansion. Among respondents who do not yet buy Italian organic wine, 64% said they would be willing to try it in an Italian restaurant, especially if it were recommended on the menu or by staff.

That result gives added importance to the role of restaurants, sommeliers and hospitality workers in introducing consumers to imported organic wine. For beverage companies and wine producers, it suggests that restaurant placements, staff training and menu communication could have a direct effect on trial and repeat purchases.

The report said product recognition remains another critical issue, and that problem extends to labeling. Italian wineries exporting to the United States must navigate rules that differ from those in the European Union, particularly on the use of the word “organic.”

A wine certified as organic in Europe cannot automatically be marketed in the United States as “organic wine.” The main differences concern added sulfites and the conditions attached to U.S. labeling categories regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Under U.S. rules, wines with added sulfites cannot use the simple label “organic wine.” If they meet specific American standards, they can instead be sold as “made with organic grapes.” For that category, sulfur dioxide may be added up to a limit of 100 parts per million in the finished product, but the USDA Organic seal cannot be used.

Labels must also comply with rules enforced by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the federal agency that regulates alcoholic beverages. Those technical requirements can shape how a wine is presented and how easily an American consumer can identify it as organic.

Nomisma’s research suggested that clearer identification could help sales. It found that 82% of respondents believe a dedicated mark for Italian organic products, identifying goods made entirely with Italian ingredients, could encourage purchases. While that finding applies to the wider organic food sector and not only to wine, it raises a practical question for wineries: whether U.S. shoppers can quickly understand what an Italian label is telling them.

That issue is especially important in a category where certifications, production methods and origin claims often influence buying decisions. For producers, simple and accurate explanations about what makes a wine organic, and how that status is expressed under U.S. law, may become as important as the product itself.

Italy’s performance in U.S. organic wine imports shows that the country has established a leading commercial position, but the Nomisma findings indicate that further growth may depend less on demand alone than on execution in the market. Distribution, restaurant exposure, labeling strategy and staff knowledge all appear likely to affect whether interest in Italian organic wine turns into larger and more frequent purchases across the U.S. beverage business.