Spanish wine grapes rank among the world’s cheapest in 2026 survey

Spain near the bottom of the international ranking

Spain is among the lowest-paying markets for grapes destined for winemaking, according to a Vinetur sector analysis dated September 8, 2026. The publication estimates a central Spanish price of €0.31 per kilogram, with only Chile at €0.22 and Argentina at €0.21 below it among the countries examined. At the opposite end, Switzerland leads at €2.85 per kilogram, around 9.2 times the Spanish level.

The comparison covers the value paid or attributable to growers for wine grapes. It excludes table grapes, raisins, bulk wine, bottled wine and the value of wine production. Vinetur cautions that the results do not all have the same statistical status: the 2026 harvest is complete in major Southern Hemisphere producers, while several Northern Hemisphere markets, including Spain, France, Italy and Germany, do not yet have final national averages.

A wide gap with France and Italy

Spain’s estimated price is based on large-scale transactions observed at €0.20-€0.28 per kilogram, other commercial grapes at about €0.35-€0.40 and higher-value categories above those levels. In some recognized production areas, prices close to €0.72 per kilogram and higher production costs remain under discussion. However, Vinetur says some of those references reflect recent history rather than completed settlements for the current harvest, and some contracts have yet to be formalized.

The difference with competing European wine producers is substantial. France’s normalized provisional value is €1.20 per kilogram, about 3.9 times Spain’s estimate. Italy stands at €0.50, roughly 60% above Spain. Germany and Canada are both assessed at €1.05, while Portugal is estimated at €0.52. France also has an exceptionally broad commercial range of €0.45-€8.50 per kilogram, reflecting the coexistence of large commercial volumes and premium segments such as parts of Champagne.

Other lower-priced European suppliers are closer to Spain. North Macedonia is estimated at €0.32 per kilogram, Georgia and Australia at €0.35, Moldova at €0.38, and Bulgaria and Italy at €0.50. Moldova’s published indicative range is 6.8-8.2 Moldovan lei per kilogram, equivalent to approximately €0.34-€0.41, with premiums of 15%-30% available for certain varieties or grapes with greater commercial value.

Low prices aid wineries but squeeze growers

For Spanish wineries, inexpensive grapes can support competitive production costs in commercial wine segments, particularly against France and Italy. For growers, the same advantage means weaker revenue per kilogram and less room to absorb higher vineyard costs. The impact will vary by region, variety, quality classification and contract because the national figure is a normalized estimate rather than a completed average.

Australia provides one of the survey’s firmer benchmarks. Its official weighted average for purchased grapes was AUD 570 per tonne, or about €0.35 per kilogram, down 6% from a year earlier. New Zealand, by comparison, is estimated at €1.11 per kilogram, more than three times Australia’s level. The contrast shows that a developed export-oriented wine industry can operate with relatively low grape prices, but it also underlines how strongly market structure, domestic prices, yields, varieties and demand conditions shape grower returns.

Spain’s position should therefore be read as an indication of cost competitiveness and pressure at the farm level, not as a final harvest settlement. Until outstanding contracts are completed and a national average becomes available, the €0.31 figure remains provisional. Its distance from France and Italy nevertheless gives producers, wineries and traders a clear measure of Spain’s relative raw-material cost at this stage of the 2026 campaign.