Italian wine exports continue to struggle, and the mid-year snapshot for 2026 offers little reassurance.
According to ISTAT data released this week and examined by WineNews, which also broke down performance by individual Italian region, Italian wine shipments to international markets generated €3.6 billion between January and June — a drop of 6.16% compared to the same period in 2025 — while volumes fell 4%, settling at 989.6 million liters.
The figures mark a modest improvement over May, when the value decline stood at -6.86% and volumes were down 5%, but the overall trend still points to a sector under pressure.
How the Top Markets Performed
The United States remains Italy's largest wine market by far, but it's also where the pain is sharpest: imports totaled €849 million, down 14.1% (compared with -15.4% in May), with volumes at 167.7 million liters, a decline of 6.8%.
Germany, the second-largest market by value, recorded €543.5 million in imports, down 6.7% — a slight recovery from the May figures — with volumes of 222.4 million liters, down 5.1%. The United Kingdom followed with €345.5 million (-6.6%) and 110.9 million liters (-6%).
Outside the top three, Canada led with €189.6 million (-4.1%), ahead of Switzerland at €173.6 million (-10.9%), France at €155.3 million (-1.7%), and the Netherlands at €121.2 million (-3%). Belgium posted €94.5 million, down 11.4%, while Sweden also stayed in negative territory at €95.5 million (-1.4%).
The Bright Spots: Russia, China, and Brazil
Russia was one of the few markets to buck the trend, growing 15.7% to reach €87.4 million, even as the pace of purchases has continued to slow in recent months. In Asia, China's imports climbed further to €40.3 million, up 19.8%, while Japan slipped slightly to €85.2 million (-2.7%).
Among emerging markets, Brazil closed the first half of 2026 with €20.1 million in Italian wine imports, an encouraging 8.1% increase over the same period last year — though the May figure had been even stronger.
A Sector Still Waiting for a Turnaround
Taken together, the data for June — and therefore for the first half of the year — shows tentative signs of stabilization compared to April and May, but exports remain down by more than 6% versus 2025, a year already marked by the introduction of tariffs and weaker demand. Among Italy's main export markets, only Russia, China, and Brazil are showing growth compared to the first half of 2025, though their volumes remain far below those of the leading importing countries.
The wine sector, a cornerstone of Made in Italy agri-food exports, will be looking to the second half of 2026 for signs of a genuine recovery.
Source: WineNews
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