UK Wine Imports Drop 5.4% in Value as Spanish Prices Surge Over 10%

British customs data analyzed by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE) show that the United Kingdom reduced its wine imports in the first half of 2025. The total value of wine imports fell by 5.4% to 1.98 billion euros, a decrease of 114.1 million euros compared to the same period last year. The volume of wine imported also dropped by 6.4%, reaching 551.7 million liters, which is 37.7 million liters less than in the first half of 2024. Despite these declines, the average price per liter increased by 1%, now standing at 3.59 euros.

Both bottled and bulk wine imports saw reductions. Bottled wine imports fell by 5.8% in value and 4.95% in volume, totaling 1.69 billion euros and 344.6 million liters, respectively. The average price for bottled wine decreased slightly by 0.9% to 4.91 euros per liter. Bulk wine imports dropped by 3% in value and 8.7% in volume, amounting to 287.8 million euros and 207 million liters. However, the average price for bulk wine rose by 6.2% to 1.39 euros per liter.

Spain maintained its position as the third-largest supplier of bottled wine to the UK in both value and volume, with exports worth 163.1 million euros (down 8.1%) and 47.2 million liters (down 12.2%). For bulk wine, Spain ranked seventh, exporting 10.4 million euros and 9 million liters in the first half of the year.

France and Italy remain the leading suppliers of wine to the UK by value, with France exporting 724.2 million euros (down 4.2%) and Italy 452.8 million euros (down 7.3%). In terms of volume, Italy leads with 130.6 million liters (down 3.5%), followed by Australia with 80.3 million liters (down 7.8%), and France in third place with a slight decrease in volume and a larger drop in value.

The main countries supplying wine to the UK by value are France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, the United States, South Africa, and Portugal.

Looking at different types of wine, sparkling wine imports into the UK fell by 7.2% in value to 448.6 million euros during the first half of 2025. Bottled still wine imports dropped by 5.3% to 1.22 billion euros, while Bag-in-Box (BiB) wines decreased by 8.4% to 21.6 million euros. Bulk wine imports also declined by 3% to 287.8 million euros.

The total volume of bottled wines (including sparkling, still, and BiB) imported into the UK decreased by 4.9%. The largest drop was seen in BiB wines, which fell by 15.5%. Still bottled wines declined by 5.3% to 270.5 million liters, while sparkling wines dropped by 15.5% to just under nine million liters.

Bottled wines continue to dominate UK imports, accounting for nearly two-thirds of total import value and about half of total import volume in the first half of this year.

Since 2020, all categories except bulk wine have shown positive compound annual growth rates in value: sparkling wines grew by nearly 14%, bottled still wines by about 3.6%, and BiB wines by almost 13%. Bulk wine is the only category that has declined in value since 2020.

In terms of volume since last year, sparkling wines have seen a small increase compared to the first half of 2024 but have grown nearly six percent annually since 2020. Both bottled still wines and bulk wines have declined in volume over that period.

France remains the top supplier by value with a market share of over one-third in the first half of this year, followed by Italy with nearly a quarter and Spain with just under nine percent of the market share.

In volume terms, Italy leads with almost a quarter of all wine imported into the UK, followed by Australia and then Spain, which supplied just over ten percent of total volume but saw a significant drop compared to last year.

Spain recorded the highest increase in average price per liter among major suppliers in the first half of this year, rising more than ten percent from last year’s figure to reach just over three euros per liter.

The average import price for bottled wines in the UK was 3.59 euros per liter, while bulk wine averaged at 1.39 euros per liter during this period.

French and Italian wines both saw their average prices fall compared to last year—by about three to four percent—while Spanish wines increased significantly in price.

New Zealand led all major suppliers in reducing its average price per liter, dropping nearly thirteen percent compared to last year.

The data reflect a challenging period for wine exporters targeting the UK market in early 2025, with overall declines in both value and volume but some notable shifts in pricing and market share among leading supplier countries.