2026-08-17
European Union wine exports to Russia rose in the first half of 2026, even though June showed a weaker year-over-year result, according to Eurostat trade data cited by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Aug. 15.
The figures show that EU wine shipments to Russia reached 239.7 million euros from January through June, up 8% from the same period in 2025. Based on that rate, the comparable value a year earlier was about 221.9 million euros. The increase for the six-month period was therefore about 17.8 million euros.
The June data pointed to a more mixed trend. EU exports of still and sparkling wine to Russia totaled 39.1 million euros in that month. That was 3% higher than in May, an increase of about 1.1 million euros, but 8% lower than in June 2025, a drop of about 3.4 million euros. The contrast suggests that growth built earlier in the year was enough to keep the first-half total higher, even as June lost some momentum from the level seen a year before.
Italy remained the main EU supplier to the Russian market in June. Its wine exports to Russia were worth 15.5 million euros for the month, according to the data cited by RIA Novosti. That was 21% more than in May and 8% more than in June last year. Italy’s position at the top of the ranking is significant because it shows that the first-half increase was not spread evenly across all suppliers. Much of the movement in June came from a limited number of countries that either expanded sales or held them steady while others declined.
Latvia was the second-largest supplier in June, with exports valued at 7.6 million euros, though that monthly total was down 19% from May. France followed with 3.9 million euros, down 4% on the month. Poland shipped 3.7 million euros, a 12% monthly gain. Spain completed the top five with 3.3 million euros in exports. That amount was 1.6 times the May level, which implies an increase of about 1.24 million euros from one month to the next.
Other EU countries also recorded sales to Russia in June, though at lower levels. Germany exported wine worth 2.4 million euros. Portugal shipped 1.3 million euros. Lithuania accounted for 595,000 euros, Austria for 442,000 euros and Estonia for 128,000 euros. Together, those figures show that the Russian market remained active for a broad group of European suppliers, even if the largest part of the trade continued to be concentrated among a few countries.
The data in the report refer to exports measured by value, not by volume. They cover both still and sparkling wine sent from the European Union to Russia. That means the figures show how much the trade was worth in euros, but they do not show how many liters were sold or whether the change came from higher volumes, higher prices or a shift in the mix of wines exported.
That distinction matters in reading the first-half increase. A rise in export value can reflect stronger demand, higher average prices or a greater share of premium products. Without volume data, it is not possible to say from these figures alone whether Russia imported more wine from the European Union in physical terms, or whether the increase came mainly from pricing and product mix. The June decline from the year-earlier level could also have several explanations, including lower volumes, lower prices or changes in the balance between still and sparkling wines.
RIA Novosti said its report was based on Eurostat data it reviewed, but the publication did not link to a primary Eurostat table in its article. It also did not provide a full breakdown between still and sparkling wine, and it did not include average prices or volumes in liters. Some of the comparisons with prior periods, including estimates for earlier values, are therefore derived from rounded growth rates rather than from a complete published series.