Italia wine: sales in the USA down 20%, Russia, China, Brazil and Mexico do well
UIV Observatory: shipments fell by 11% on non-EU markets in March. Bad in the United States, a breath of fresh air from South America and Asia. Frescobaldi: indispensable to reduce production
There is still no sign of a turnaround in exports of Italian wine, the most export-oriented product of the entire made-in-Italy food industry. According to data from the Observatory of the Italian Wine Union, in the first quarter of 2026, sales on non-EU markets closed with a turnover of close to one billion euro (-11%), a result that despite representing an improvement over the first two months (-16%) continues to remain firmly in negative territory. The slight improvement was due to a substantially stable month of March with -2.3% in value but +3.9% in volume.
Declining US, good Russia, China, Brazil and Mexico
According to the UIV analysis based on official data, it is not the traditional outlet markets but the 'new' ones that are mitigating part of the loss. Strong increases in demand have in fact come from Russia, China, Brazil (the first positive effects of the EU-Mercosur agreement are beginning to be recorded) and Mexico.
U.S. weighs comparison with early 2025 stockpile race
On the other hand, sales in the main market - the USA - remained in sharp decline. In March, Italia wine sales in the USA fell by 20.5%. This figure, however, should be handled with caution because the comparison with the first quarter of last year is affected by the strong rush to purchases (so-called frontloading) on the part of American importers who were already 'seeing' the arrival of additional tariffs on the part of President Trump.
Frescobaldi (UIV): good to reduce yields in some denominations
"The market data that we are seeing," commented the President of the Italian Wine Union, Lamberto Frescobaldi, "indicate that, in general, the level of vigilance remains high and that attention must be maximised. The imperative, today, is to measure our strengths to keep the supply chain as balanced as possible and continue to guarantee the high level of quality now unanimously recognised for Italia wine. In this sense, we appreciate the decisions taken by some denominations to reduce yields in view of the next harvest, and we hope that this indication can also be shared and promoted at national level. At this stage, with already high stocks, producing more than the market is able to absorb would risk generating deleterious effects on prices at all levels of the chain. We are convinced that, with the necessary countermeasures, Italia wine can return to growth'.
U.S. sales fall and prices rise
In the world's leading market for Italia wine (before tariffs, a record number of exports had been achieved with a turnover of almost 2 billion euro), however, according to the Osservatorio Uiv, a rapid upturn is difficult to see, especially if one analyses the dynamics of wine consumption overseas. According to data from the SipSource platform (which measures distribution goods heading to American points of sale)," the UIV Observatory explains, "the balance in the first four months of sales in the United States closed at -7.2% in volumes of Made in Italy wine with a contextual growth in consumer prices, up by 4.3% despite the "discounts" (around 11%) made by Italian wineries to lighten the burden of consumer tariffs. Among the types, the difficult picture however spares Prosecco (+2.3%) and many wines, both whites and reds, included in the high-end segments (super and ultra-premium) that are in particular demand in the on-trade".
