Which countries in the world import the most wine?

Judging from the import data, the pessimism in the wine market is still evident. The latest data involves 2023. Experiencing a staggering decline Compared to 2022. The post-COVID-19 improvement seems far away. The top three are always the same: the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. These three countries account for 40% of global wine imports in volume and 37% in value. But both in terms of volume and value, we have noticed a decline in the number of bottles imported from these three locomotives, sometimes a sharp decline.

In the UK, for example, 12.3 million fewer hectoliters of beer were put on the market in 2023 compared to 2022. The US lost €6.2 billion in import value. Interestingly, but equally worryingly, for others, China still working to reduce wine imports for the sixth year in a row. Where does France fit in all this? If the drop is valid, it remains contained (-4.6% in volume and -3.5% in value). On the other hand, the French market is gradually abandoning Spanish bulk in favor of Italian Proseccodue to increasing demand The emergence of SpriteFrance still retains its position as the leading wine exporter in terms of value, well ahead of Spain and Italy, but the latter still leads in terms of volume.

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When French wine imports stir tensions

The import of French wine, while beneficial to the growth of foreign wines on French soil, is also a source of tension. Especially since consumption is falling and does not take into account the higher production costs in France compared to its competitors, especially Spain. For example, last October, an action group led by several Winegrowers from the Occitanie region set fire to a bottling plant in AudeAccording to them, certain traders import foreign wines at low prices, which mechanically drives down the price of French bulk wines.