KEOSOE Says Greek Wine Consumption Rose 11.1% in 2025/26

Greece’s apparent wine consumption rose 11.1% in the 2025/26 marketing year, according to a sector balance published on Thursday by the Central Cooperative Union of Wine Products, known as KEOSOE. The group said domestic apparent consumption reached 1,112,142 hectoliters, up from 1,001,000 hectoliters in 2024/25.

The increase amounted to 111,142 hectoliters, or about 11.1 million liters. At the same time, wine stocks also grew, showing that higher apparent consumption in the period was accompanied by a larger accumulation of inventories. KEOSOE said closing stocks on July 31 stood at 2,012,529 hectoliters, up from 1,705,521 hectoliters a year earlier, an increase of 307,008 hectoliters, or 18%.

The figures matter because they help show how much wine was available in the Greek market and how much remained unsold at the end of the campaign. They are also used by the trade to assess supply conditions and commercial needs.

KEOSOE said its apparent consumption estimate is based on an algebraic balance built from officially declared production, trade flows, industrial uses and stock levels. For the 2025/26 campaign, which closed on July 31, the group used opening stocks of 1,705,521 hectoliters on August 1, 2025, officially declared wine production of 1,645,200 hectoliters, and wine imports of 302,910 hectoliters. It then subtracted closing stocks of 2,012,529 hectoliters, wine exports of 282,020 hectoliters, and industrial uses of 247,000 hectoliters.

Using those published components, the total comes to 1,112,082 hectoliters, which is 60 hectoliters below the 1,112,142-hectoliter headline figure cited by KEOSOE. The group nevertheless attributed total apparent consumption to the higher figure in its release.

The organization described the result as human wine consumption for the period covered by the balance, but the measure is not a direct reading of purchases by households or restaurant sales. Apparent consumption is a statistical estimate derived from supply and use data. It shows how much wine was theoretically absorbed by the domestic market over the campaign, not how much consumers physically bought in stores or drank during a specific season.

That distinction is important in reading the data. The balance closed on July 31, so it does not describe the full fall market and should not be treated as a measure of wine demand later in the year. The period does include part of the summer season, which is significant for wine sales in Greece.

KEOSOE said the balance was made possible after Greece reported its July 31 wine stocks to the European Commission. The group has been producing this statistical series since 1995 using official data, it said.

The organization also said the figures exclude undeclared volumes, including any illegal or hidden wine flows linked to grapes intended for other uses. If such volumes were counted, KEOSOE said, apparent consumption would be higher. That means the published figure reflects only the declared market and does not attempt to measure unrecorded production or trade.

KEOSOE calculated per capita consumption for the period at 10.59 liters. Even with the 11.1% increase from the previous campaign, the group said the longer-term trend remains downward.

The release also pushed back against market talk that wine consumption had fallen in 2026. KEOSOE said the official balance does not support that view, at least through July 31. That point carries weight in a market where weaker grape prices in the fall had been linked by some industry participants to expectations of softer wine demand.

For producers and traders, the combined movement in consumption and stocks may be the most important part of the report. Domestic apparent consumption increased, but inventories rose even faster in absolute terms, leaving more wine in storage at the end of the campaign than a year earlier. That combination suggests that supply remained ample despite stronger market absorption during the period.

KEOSOE is a sector body, not a government statistical agency, but it said its calculations rely on official declarations for production, trade and inventory data. The balance therefore offers a structured view of the Greek wine market, while still carrying the limits of any apparent-consumption measure, including its dependence on reported stocks and its inability to capture undeclared activity.