In 2021 Italian wine exports hit the record value of 7.11 billion euros, growing +12.4% compared to 2020, abundantly recovering 2020’s -2.2% drop.
According to the elaborations provided by the Qualivita Wine Observatory on Istat data, Europe absorbs 60% of Italian wine exports, for a value of 4.28 billion euros in 2021 (up by 351 million in the last year, equal to +8.9%).
There has also been a strong recovery in the American continent, where 2.23 billion euros of exports marked a +16.7% growth. The drop of -4.3% in 2020 has therefore been largely recovered. Even in Asian markets, where Italian wine sales had encountered greater difficulties in 2020 (with a drop of -12.6%), exports exceeded half a billion euros in 2021, up +22.5% on an annual basis.
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THE TOP EXPORT DESTINATIONS
In the United States, Italian wine export sales exceed 1.72 billion euros amounting to 24.2% of total exports. This brought exports in value to the US to +18.4% over 2020 and +12% over 2019. The positive trend continues also in Germany (where it began in the second half of 2020), where sales exceed 1.13 billion euros. In the UK (+5.1%) sales only partially recovered the decline in 2020, while in Switzerland Italian wine took a decisive step forward and sales exceeded 415 million euros.
Among the other markets, Canada (+10.9%) and especially the Netherlands (growing for the second year in a row: +37% compared to 2019) are doing very well. Growth resumed also in France, where exports reached 222 million. Also noteworthy was the result in Belgium, where in two years sales increased from 140 million euros to 197 million (+41% compared to 2019).
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In light of the conflict in Ukraine, however, we should remember that Russia (export sales accounting for 149 million euros) was the twelfth destination market for Italian wine in 2021 with increasing +18.4% on an annual basis. This is a complex market, where Italian products have however managed to impose themselves with a growth of +91% in five years. In Russia Italy boasts the leadership among wine suppliers (it totally dominates in the sparkling wine category, with peaks of 60% of market shares) and covers 30% of the total wine imports, followed by France (17%).
SALES BY VOLUME
In volumes terms, Italian wine exports reached 2.23 million tons in 2021 growing +7.3% compared to 2020.