New export statistics from Moldova's National Office of Vine and Wine (ONVV) paint a mixed picture for the country's wine industry through the first seven months of 2026: shipments are down, but the products still moving abroad are fetching better prices.
From January through July 2026, Moldova shipped 61.5 million liters of vitivinicultural products abroad, a 16% drop from the same window in 2025. Total export earnings came to $116.2 million, down a comparatively gentler 5%. The gap between the volume and value declines points to a shift toward higher-value, lower-volume exports.
Moldovan producers sold into 65 countries this year, though the trade remains concentrated: just 10 markets captured 81% of both value and volume.
Category Breakdown: Winners and Losers
Not every product category told the same story:
| Category | Value | Change YoY | Volume | Change YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still wines | $69.5M | -11% | 47.8M L | -18% |
| Sparkling wines (bottled) | $3.0M | -21% | 0.891M L | -29% |
| Liqueur wines | $7.1M | +60% | 3.0M L | +47% |
| Divin (brandy) | $34.7M | +22% | 8.9M L a.a. | +8% |
Liqueur wines and divin were the clear growth categories, with bottled liqueur wine exports up 75% in value and bottled divin up 85%. Still wines, which make up the bulk of Moldova's exports, continued to slide, and sparkling wine was one of the weakest segments overall — bottled export volume down 29%, though the average bottle price still climbed 11% to $2.53. Vermouths saw the steepest fall of any segment — down 75% in bottled export value.
Within still wine, bulk (vrac) exports actually held up better on price, with the average bulk price rising 11% to $0.81/liter even as volumes fell 17%.
Regional Shifts
Europe stayed Moldova's anchor market at 61% of export value ($71.4 million, roughly flat), while the CIS held a 25% share ($28.9 million, -3%). The most dramatic regional moves were at the margins: Africa jumped 61% to $7.4 million, driven largely by demand from Nigeria and Ghana, while the Americas collapsed 61% to just $4.5 million and Oceania virtually vanished, down 94% to a negligible $1,000.
A Decade in Context
Placed against ten years of export data, 2026's first-half volume of 61.5 million liters is the lowest in the series — below even the pandemic-affected 2022 figure of 52.9 million liters would be a low bar, but 2026 volume is still noticeably under the 10-year average of 74.5 million liters. Export value, at $116.2 million, sits closer to the long-run average of $98.9 million, reflecting the industry's gradual pivot toward premiumization over the past decade.
Top Destinations for Bottled Wine
Romania remains Moldova's dominant bottled-wine market by a wide margin, taking 25.3% of volume and 32.8% of value — more than double any other country. The Czech Republic, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Poland round out the next tier, each in the high single digits, while the United States, Ukraine, Canada, and China hold smaller but notable shares.
Data source: ONVV (Moldova's National Office of Vine and Wine)
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