E.U. wine export revenue fell 6.8% outside the bloc over 12 months

European Union wine exports to countries outside the bloc fell in both value and volume in the 12 months from September 2025 through August 2026, with revenue dropping faster than shipments, according to figures reported by the Italian trade outlet WineMag on Thursday, November 12, citing Copa-Cogeca.

The report said EU wine exports to third countries, excluding trade between member states, totaled €15.4 billion and 27.5 million hectoliters over the period. That was down 6.8% in value and 3.3% in volume from the previous 12 months. Based on the rounded totals, the decline amounts to roughly €1.124 billion in lost export revenue and about 938,000 fewer hectoliters shipped.

The gap between the two rates of decline points to a weaker average return on each liter sold abroad. Using the published totals, the average export value came to €5.60 per liter, down 3.62% from the earlier period. That figure reflects a mix of prices, products and destinations, not inflation alone.

The data suggest that the EU wine industry is not only selling less outside the bloc, but also earning less per unit on those sales. For producers and exporters, that matters because a smaller drop in volumes than in revenues usually means pressure on margins, weaker pricing power, or a shift toward lower-value products and markets.

WineMag attributed the figures to Copa-Cogeca, the main EU farm lobby and cooperative organization, in a broader overview of the 2026 harvest and wine market. A primary document containing the original tables was not publicly accessible, so the export figures could not be independently verified against a source dataset.

The reported export decline was not spread evenly across product categories. According to Copa-Cogeca’s breakdown, protected designation of origin wines fell 7.6% in value, varietal wines dropped 6.7% and protected geographical indication wines declined 4.9%. Wines without a geographical indication were broadly stable.

The picture also differed by format. Bulk wine exports rose 5%, and bag-in-box shipments increased 3.4%. Bottled wine exports, however, fell 7.5%, while sparkling wine was down 6.2%. That split matters because bottled and sparkling wines generally carry higher unit values than bulk shipments. A shift in sales toward lower-priced formats can pull down the overall average value even if some segments continue to move more volume.

Several of the EU’s major overseas markets weakened during the period. Exports to the United States fell 15.3%, while Canada declined 11%, Switzerland dropped 9.2% and the United Kingdom slipped 3.9%, according to the figures cited by WineMag. Some destinations moved the other way. Exports to Russia rose 17.5% and shipments to Hong Kong increased 10.9%, but those gains were not enough to offset the losses in larger or more established markets.

The figures point to a difficult external environment for European wine exporters. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are all important buyers of higher-value European wines, so weakness there can have an outsized effect on total export earnings. Even when other destinations grow, those increases may not match the value lost in traditional premium markets.

The report also said trade within the EU weakened, though its pattern was different from exports to third countries. Intra-EU wine trade fell 9.8% in value and 13.4% in volume, while average unit values increased. That contrasts with extra-EU exports, where value fell more than volume. The difference suggests that the pressures affecting trade inside the bloc were not identical to those shaping sales outside it.

Copa-Cogeca tied the export slowdown to a wider downturn in wine demand. It said global wine consumption is estimated at 221 million hectoliters, the lowest level in more than 30 years. The organization said the decline follows years of structural change in drinking habits and has accelerated since 2022. It also said the EU now accounts for about 48% of world wine consumption, down from nearly 60% in 2000.

That demand backdrop is important for understanding the export numbers. If consumers in major markets buy less wine overall, or trade down to lower-priced products, exporters can lose both volume and pricing strength. The effect can be especially sharp for producers positioned in premium categories, where even a modest slowdown in demand can weigh on revenue.

Copa-Cogeca also pointed to broader pressures on the sector, including lower prices, high inventories, rising production costs linked to conflict and geopolitical tensions, and new barriers to trade and market access. Those factors do not appear directly in the export totals, but they help explain why weaker shipments may translate into even weaker earnings.

The average export value of €5.60 per liter should not be read as a simple benchmark price for all EU wine. It is an aggregate indicator that combines many products, packaging types and destination markets. A shift from bottled to bulk wine, from sparkling to still wine, or from premium markets to lower-priced ones can change the number even if listed prices in individual segments remain stable.

For the EU wine sector, the main signal in the latest figures is that the loss in export value has outpaced the loss in volume. That means the bloc’s wineries and exporters are not only shipping fewer liters to non-EU markets, but are also capturing less revenue from each liter they do sell abroad.