Italian wine exports fall 6.2% in first half of 2026 as US sales drop 14.1%

Italian wine exports fell 6.2% in value in the first half of 2026, to just over €3.6 billion, while volumes declined 4%, according to the Observatory of Unione italiana vini (UIV), which based its analysis on Istat data. Roughly one bottle in two of Italian wine is sold abroad, which makes the half-year result a direct measure of the sector's commercial health.

Il Sole 24 Ore reported that in June 2026 nine of the ten leading destinations for Italian wine were in negative territory. Average export prices fell 2.3%, a sign that producers conceded on price lists in an attempt to hold shelf space and market share. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, that effort has not paid off: lower prices did not stop the contraction in either value or volume.

United States lead the decline

The United States closed the half-year at €849 million, down 14.1%, remaining Italy's largest foreign outlet despite the fall. The average export price to the American market dropped 7.8%, a decline that Il Sole 24 Ore attributed to attempts by Italian producers to absorb the impact of tariffs on their main destination market.

The two other large European markets also lost ground. Germany fell 6.8% to €534 million and the United Kingdom 6.6% to €346 million. Gustoblog reported that demand in these traditional markets has become more selective while international competition has turned more aggressive, pushing several Italian producers to cut their price lists as a defensive move.

China, Mercosur and Russia move against the trend

The clearest counter-trend signals came from Asia and South America. China grew 19.8%, Brazil 8.2% and the Mercosur bloc as a whole 18.4%. Russia was the only exception among the top ten destinations, with sales up 15.7%; Il Sole 24 Ore noted the role of its Latvian hub in that flow. None of these gains was large enough to offset the contraction in the markets that have carried the bulk of Italian exports for years.

• United States: -14.1%, to €849 million
• Germany: -6.8%, to €534 million
• United Kingdom: -6.6%, to €346 million
• China: +19.8%; Brazil: +8.2%; Mercosur: +18.4%
• Russia: +15.7%, the only top-ten destination in growth

UIV president Lamberto Frescobaldi linked the result to a wider shift in international consumption. “Italian wine, like the other main producing countries, is paying for a structural decline in global demand, worsened by cyclical factors tied to purchasing power and geopolitical tensions,” he said. “We are convinced of the need to address these difficulties through a systemic reorganisation of our sector, aware of the socio-economic value it expresses.”

Sparkling holds, still wine slides

By product category, sparkling wines proved the most resilient, closing the half-year at +0.4%, while bottled still wines fell 8.9%. Gustoblog reported that sparkling demand appears more stable thanks to broader consumption occasions and an established presence in international foodservice and large-scale retail.

The regional breakdown follows the same split. Among Italy's three largest exporting regions, Veneto lost 8.4% and Tuscany 7.4%, while Piedmont returned to second place with export growth of 2.4%, supported by a strong rebound of Asti Spumante after a subdued 2025.

Summer data and the policy response

The UIV Observatory indicated that the market shock of the past twelve months could ease slightly, barring further escalation of international tensions. Provisional July and August figures for non-EU markets point to a possible restart, including a double-digit rebound in the United States against a very weak comparable period in 2025. UIV stressed that these are preliminary readings, dependent on tariffs and on how geopolitical tensions develop.

The data were published shortly after Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida attended the symbolic cutting of the first Nebbiolo bunch of the 2026 harvest in Barolo, as reported by italiaatavola.net. He called on the sector to work through the current phase with measures targeted at companies' needs and closer attention to Asian markets, which delivered the half-year's most encouraging figures.