IWFI has reported that for the period Jan-May 2010 Italy exported slightly less than 87.2 million liters including bulk wine, at an increase of 11.6%. The value at $422.7 million was an increase of 9.3% as compared to the same period of $378.5 million generated from the export of about 78.8 million liters.
In the same period, the U.S. imports of Italian sparkling wine amounted to 6.2 million liters valued at $36.7 million, with an increase of 34.2% in quantity and 27.1% in value. Sparkling wine registered an increase of 36.1 % and along with Prosecco were the category winners in terms of sales growth.
If bulk wine is also included in the import figures, Australian wine (bottled and in bulk) is the most imported foreign wine in the U.S., although recording a consistent decrease in quantity and a slight decrease in value. The import of Australian wine to the U.S. amounted to 87.2 million liters for a value of $229.1 million. For the first five months in 2009, it was 106.4 million liters fetching $ 229.5 million. Significantly, the quantity of bulk wine exported decreased considerably from 50 million liters to 28.9 million liters during this period.
U.S. wine imports experienced a decrease in quantity but an increase in value, as compared to the same period last year. It imported a total of 330 million liters of wine with a value of $1.3 billion, a decrease of 2.4% in quantity but a 6.5% increase in value compared to the same period in 2009.
A recent Gallup Poll finding reported already in delWine reported that Americans now drink more alcohol than they have in 25 years. In addition, a recent European study named the U.S. market to be the most dynamic in terms of imported wine sales.
Several countries including Spain, New Zealand, and Germany, are continuing to expand their wine markets in the United States with significant increase in value. Spain’s exports at 14 million liters for a value of $69.9 million was an increase of 26.5% in quantity and a 25.6% increase in value compared to the corresponding period from 2009.
Similarly, imports from New Zealand was12.1 million liters at $74.4 million with an increase of 35.3% in quantity and a 26.2% increase in value. Germany exported 11.4 million liters at $54.9 million, resulting in an increase of 8.5% in quantity and a 22.6% increase in value.
French exports decreased to 29.6 million liters for $230.1 million as compared to 30.6 million liters for $255.7 million in 2009. This was a decrease of 3.3% in quantity and 10% in value. Export of bulk wine also dropped from 4.5 million liters to 1.68 million.
There was a decrease in exports from Chile at 45.6 million L at $91.2 mill whereas it had averaged 49.2 mill L for a value of $95 million last year, resulting in a decrease of 7.3% in quantity and a 3.9% decrease in value. Interestingly, although Argentina suffered a decrease in quantity at 2.9%, there was a significant increase in the value by 18.3%.
Though there was negligible export to the US from India, it might interest wine producers to know that the average price per liter of bottled wine from different countries imported into the US was $4.92 from Italy (same as in 2009); $3.57 from Australia ($3.51); $8.05 from France ($9.39); $3.30 from Chile ($3.35); and $3.88 from Argentina ($3.89), according to figures released by IWFI. |