2026-07-31
Argentina’s white wine business shrank in volume last year, but the category held up better in export value as consumers and buyers moved toward varietal labels, sweeter styles and bottled wines, according to a special report released this week by the country’s National Viticulture Institute.
The report, dated July 30, shows that total sales of Argentine white wine fell 7% in 2025 to 2.19 million hectoliters. The decline was driven by the domestic market, which accounts for 85% of sales and dropped 8.8%. Exports moved in the opposite direction, rising 4.2% to 327,304 hectoliters.
White wine represented 23% of all Argentine wine sold in 2025. That kept the category as a significant part of the industry, though with less weight than in recent years. In the domestic market, white wine’s share fell to 24.9%, down from 27.9% in 2022. The drop was steeper than the broader decline in wine consumption at home. Total domestic wine shipments fell 2.6% last year, while whites were down 8.8%. Red wines rose 1.8%.
The weaker sales come as Argentina continues to reduce its white grape acreage. Land planted with white varieties for winemaking stood at 30,272 hectares in 2026, based on provisional data through June 30. That is 9,156 hectares fewer than in 2017, a decline of 23.2%. Over the same period, total vineyard area for winemaking fell 12%. As a result, white grapes now account for 16.9% of Argentina’s winemaking vineyard area, down from 19.4%.
Plantings remain concentrated in a few grapes. Pedro Giménez accounts for 26.5% of white vineyard area, Torrontés Riojano for 21.4% and Chardonnay for 18.4%. Together they make up more than two-thirds of the country’s white vineyard base. All three have lost ground since 2017. Pedro Giménez is down by 2,691 hectares, Torrontés Riojano by 1,703 and Chardonnay by about 593. Moscatel de Alejandría lost 1,081 hectares, a drop of 41%.
At the same time, growers have started to add smaller amounts of less traditional grapes such as Grüner Veltliner, Verdelho, Glera, Alvarinho, Roussanne, Verdicchio and Marsanne. The institute said those plantings remain limited but point to a search for greater diversity.
The 2026 harvest brought some relief. Production of white grapes for winemaking reached 3.49 million quintals, up 6% from 2025. The increase extends a recovery that began after the very small 2023 crop, though output is still 12.3% below 2017 levels. Among widely planted grapes, Chenin and Riesling are the only ones producing more than they did then.
In Argentina’s domestic market, white wine shipments totaled 1.86 million hectoliters in 2025. Non-varietal white wine remained the largest segment with a 65.8% share, but its sales fell 14.9% from a year earlier and are down 22.4% from 2016. Sparkling whites held an 11.8% share and declined 5.1% year over year, extending a decade-long drop of 46.3%.
Varietal whites moved against that trend. Domestic sales reached 403,600 hectoliters, up 13.6% from 2024 and 25.2% above 2016 levels. Their share of Argentina’s white wine market climbed to a record 21.7%, compared with 13.8% nine years earlier.
That shift suggests that part of the Argentine consumer base is moving away from generic white wine toward bottles where the grape variety is central to the label and marketing message. For wineries, that matters because varietal wines are easier to position by style, origin and grape type both on retail shelves and in restaurants.
The report also points to stronger demand for sweeter profiles. Sweet non-varietal whites grew 59.8% in 2025. Sweet varietal whites rose 86.1%, and sweetened varietals increased 23.1%. Since 2016, volumes of sweet varietal whites have more than tripled, while sweetened varietals are up 70.4%. Other varietal whites fell 11.6% last year. In sparkling wines, sweeter styles including demi-sec, fruity and lightly sparkling products gained ground while dry versions declined 9.9%.
Packaging trends show a similar change in positioning. Bottles accounted for 56% of domestic white wine shipments in 2025, up from 48.7% in 2016. Tetra Pak cartons still represented a large share at 41.2%, but their volume fell 15.3% last year and is down 30.9% since the start of the series tracked by the institute. Large glass demijohns held a 2.3% share, cans accounted for 0.4% and bag-in-box for just 0.1%.
Within bottled wines, varietals were especially strong. Total bottled white wine volume slipped only 3.4%, but bottled varietal whites rose 21.5% to 384,058 hectoliters.
Torrontés Riojano remained the clear leader among varietal whites sold in Argentina’s domestic market. Shipments reached 169,444 hectoliters in 2025, equal to 42% of the segment after a yearly increase of 22.2%. Chardonnay ranked second with a 17.9% share, though its domestic shipments fell 10.7%. Chenin held a 13.8% share and rose 36.4%. Sauvignon Blanc accounted for 10.6% and slipped 1.6%. Pedro Giménez represented 7.7% and jumped 49.9%. Those five grapes made up about92% of domestic varietal white sales.
The comparison between vineyards and market performance highlights different roles for different grapes inside Argentina’s industry. Pedro Giménez remains the most planted white grape by area, but Torrontés Riojano sells more than five times as much as a varietal wine in the local market. Chardonnay remains important abroad even as it loses ground at home.
Exports offered one of the few bright spots for Argentine white wine in a difficult year for overseas wine sales overall. Total Argentine wine exports across all categories fell7.1% in volume in 2025 as red wines dropped9.6%, but whites increased4.2%. Even so, exported white wine volume remains36% below its level in2016.
The annual gain came from non-varietal white wine exports, which rose43.8%, and sparkling wines, which increased10.3%. Varietal whites, which generate most of the category’s revenue abroad, declined5.8% in volume.
Still, export value remained concentrated in higher-priced segments and packaged formats. White wine exports generated $99.55 million in revenue at an average price of $3.04 per liter in2025.
Varietal whites accounted for65.%5 of export volume but74.%3 of export value at an average price of $3..45 per liter.. Sparkling wines represented11.%6 of volume and17.%2 of value thanks to an average price of $4..48 per liter.. Non-varietal whites made up22.%9 of volume but only8.%5 of value at $1..13 per liter..
Packaging explains much of that gap.. Bottled and other packaged shipments represented79.%6 of export volume but95.%9 of export value,, with an average price of $3..67 per liter.. Bulk wine accounted for20.%4 of liters shipped yet only4.%1 of revenue,, at just $0..60 per liter.. Within packaged exports,, bottles alone made up96.%4 of volume and nearly all value..
That structure leaves bottled exports as Argentina’s main tool for capturing value abroad,, especially as total volumes remain under pressure..
Chardonnay continued to lead Argentine varietal white exports with93,,787 hectoliters,, or43.%8 of segment volume,, and nearly half its value.. Its average export price was $3..93 per liter.. Torrontés Riojano ranked second with20.%2 of volume at $2..99 per liter.. Pinot Gris held12.%1 at $2..72,, and Sauvignon Blanc12.%0 at $3..31.. Together those four grapes accounted for88.%0 of exported varietal white volume..
Brazil was the top foreign market for Argentine white wine in2025,, taking55,,436 hectoliters,, or16.%9 of total export volume,, worth $17..98 million.. The United States ranked second by volume but paid a higher average price at $3..99 per liter and represented14.%3 of total export value.. Canada accounted for9.%8 of export volume,, the United Kingdom7.%1 and the Netherlands6.%0.. The Dutch market paid an average of $3..70 per liter,, above Canada and Britain..
Brazil was also the leading buyer of Chardonnay and Torrontés Riojano from Argentina.. Canada was the top destination for Pinot Gris,, while the United States ranked second for Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc..
The institute said global consumption trends are increasingly favoring white wines over reds,, driven by demand for lighter,, fresher styles with bubbles,, sweetness and lower alcohol levels.. In Argentina,, that broader shift has not translated into higher overall white wine volumes yet.. But it has changed where value is being created..
The country now has fewer hectares planted to white grapes and sells less white wine than it did a decade ago.. Yet within that smaller category,, wineries are finding support in varietal labels,, sweeter profiles,, bottled formats and packaged exports to markets willing to pay more than average..