Italy’s wine exports fell 6.2% in the first half, led by a 14.1% drop in U.S. sales.

Italy’s wine exports fell in the first half of 2026, extending a slowdown that producers are tying to weaker global demand, strained household budgets, and continuing geopolitical uncertainty.

Data from the Italian Wine Union’s UIV Observatory shows that export revenue slipped 6.2% from a year earlier to just over €3.6 billion in the January-to-June period. Export volumes also declined, down 4%, while the average export price fell 2.3%, a sign that the drop was not only driven by fewer shipments but also by softer pricing.

The weakness was broad. According to the UIV Observatory, nine of Italy’s 10 largest foreign markets for wine posted declines during the half. Demand outside the European Union dropped 7.5%, while exports to EU countries fell 4.2%.

The steepest setback among Italy’s main destinations came from the United States, its largest market by value. Sales there fell 14.1% to €849 million in the first six months of the year. Even so, the observatory said provisional figures for July and August point to a double-digit rebound in the U.S. market, suggesting that the first-half contraction may have eased somewhat during the summer.

In Europe, Germany and the United Kingdom also recorded clear declines. Exports to Germany, one of Italy’s biggest wine buyers, fell 6.8% to €534 million. Sales to the U.K. dropped 6.6% to €346 million.

Not every market moved lower. Shipments to Russia rose 15.7%, while exports to China increased 19.8%. Brazil also posted growth, up 8.2%, and the wider Mercosur bloc showed an 18.4% increase. Those gains, however, were not enough to offset the weakness in larger established markets, particularly the U.S. and Western Europe.

The performance also differed by product category. Sparkling wines held up better than still wines and were one of the few areas to avoid a meaningful decline. The category posted 0.4% growth in the first half. Bottled still wines, by contrast, were under much heavier pressure, with exports down 8.9%. Within that segment, reds fell 9.3% and whites dropped 7.0%.

Regional data shows that some of Italy’s best-known producing areas were hit hard. Veneto, a major export engine for Italian wine, saw shipments fall 8.4%. Tuscany recorded a 7.4% decline. Piedmont was an exception. Its exports rose 2.4%, allowing it to regain second place among exporting regions, helped by stronger sales of Asti Spumante.

Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of UIV, said Italian wine is being affected by a broader structural decline in global demand that is also weighing on other major wine-producing countries. He said the pressure has been intensified by economic conditions that are limiting consumers’ purchasing power, as well as by geopolitical tensions.

Frescobaldi said the industry needs a system-wide reorganization to respond to those pressures. His comments point to a debate that has been building across the European wine sector, where producers have been facing weaker consumption in some mature markets, changing drinking habits, and a more difficult trade environment.

The UIV Observatory said early summer indicators suggest that some stabilization may be possible, provided international tensions do not worsen. That leaves the second half of the year open to different outcomes, especially in the U.S., where the summer rebound may offer support if it continues into the fall.

For the beverage sector, the first-half numbers matter beyond wine producers alone. Lower export revenue and softer average prices can affect purchasing and inventory decisions for importers, distributors, retailers, and hospitality operators in major destination markets. If the pressure on still wines continues while sparkling wines remain steadier, companies across the drinks trade may need to adjust product mix, pricing, and promotions more carefully in the months ahead.

The figures also add to the pressure on wineries that depend on exports for a large share of revenue. A broad-based slowdown across top markets can make production planning more difficult, especially when demand is uneven by category and region. In that setting, the relative resilience of sparkling wines and the stronger showing in markets such as China, Brazil, and parts of South America may draw more attention from producers looking to offset weakness in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K.

Italy remains one of the world’s leading wine exporters, so changes in its sales abroad are closely watched across the global drinks business. The first-half data indicates that the sector is still dealing with a difficult external environment, even as some summer signals suggest conditions may have stopped worsening in at least part of the market.