Italian wine exports fell 6.2% in the first half of 2026.

Italian wine exports remained under pressure in the first half of 2026, with overseas sales falling to 3.6 billion euros as weaker demand continued across most of the country’s main markets.

Data published by Italy’s national statistics agency, Istat, showed that from January through June, the value of Italian wine exports fell 6.2% from the same period a year earlier. Export volumes also declined, down 4% to 989.6 million liters. The figures suggest a modest improvement from the pace seen through May, when the drop was 6.86% in value and 5% in volume, but they still point to a difficult year for one of Italy’s most important food and beverage industries.

The United States, the largest foreign market for Italian wine, recorded the sharpest decline among the top buyers in value terms. Imports from Italy totaled 849 million euros in the first six months of the year, down 14.1% from the same period in 2025. Volumes shipped to the U.S. fell 6.8% to 167.7 million liters. Even though the June data were slightly better than the May trend, when the decline in value stood at 15.4%, the U.S. market continued to weigh heavily on Italy’s overall export performance.

Germany, Italy’s second-largest export market for wine by value, imported 543.5 million euros worth of product in the first half, down 6.7% from a year earlier. Shipments to Germany reached 222.4 million liters, a decline of 5.1%. The United Kingdom followed with imports of 345.5 million euros, down 6.6%, while volumes slipped 6% to 110.9 million liters.

Outside the top three markets, the pattern remained broadly negative. Canada imported 189.6 million euros of Italian wine, down 4.1%. Switzerland bought 173.6 million euros, a drop of 10.9%. France, which is also a major wine-producing country, imported 155.3 million euros of Italian wine, down 1.7%. The Netherlands took in 121.2 million euros, down 3%.

Among other established European destinations, Belgium posted one of the steeper declines, with imports falling 11.4% to 94.5 million euros. Sweden also remained in negative territory, though only slightly, with purchases of 95.5 million euros, down 1.4%. Japan imported 85.2 million euros of Italian wine, a decline of 2.7%.

A small group of markets moved in the opposite direction. Russia continued to post growth in the first half of the year, with imports of Italian wine rising 15.7% to 87.4 million euros. Even so, the pace of that growth slowed in recent months, according to the data trend. China also expanded its purchases, with imports climbing 19.8% to 40.3 million euros. In Latin America, Brazil imported 20.1 million euros worth of Italian wine, up 8.1% from the first half of 2025, although that increase was weaker than the pace seen in earlier monthly readings.

The overall picture suggests that Italy’s wine sector has not yet found a clear recovery path in international markets. While the June numbers showed a slight easing in the rate of decline compared with April and May, the first-half result remained more than 6% below the level of the same period last year. That points to a market still dealing with weaker demand after a difficult 2025, a year that was affected in part by tariffs and other pressures.

The export setback is notable because wine remains a central part of Italy’s agricultural and food exports. The sector depends heavily on foreign demand, especially in North America and northern Europe, where premium Italian labels and sparkling wines have historically performed well. A double-digit drop in the U.S. market, combined with declines in Germany and the U.K., left little room for gains in smaller or emerging destinations to offset the losses.

The gap between the largest markets and the faster-growing smaller ones remained wide in the first half. Russia, China and Brazil were the main countries among Italy’s larger export destinations to register growth, but together they still represented a much smaller share of sales than the U.S., Germany and the U.K. The imbalance underscores how closely Italy’s wine exporters remain tied to a handful of mature markets where consumer demand has softened.

The Istat figures also showed that the decline was not limited to value alone. With volumes down 4%, the data indicate that Italy sold less wine abroad in physical terms as well, not just at lower prices or with a different product mix. That adds to concerns for producers and exporters already facing slower trade conditions in several regions.

For now, the first half of 2026 leaves Italy’s wine industry with only limited signs of improvement. The downturn eased slightly as the summer approached, but the sector entered the second half of the year still below 2025 levels in most major markets.