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Hungary and Greece are the winners in exports from the EU in the first third of 2023, Germany the loser. These figures have been published by the EU's statistical authority, Eurostat, in cooperation with wine data expert OENsights. They are partly based on estimates for important international markets such as Canada, China, Japan, the USA and the UK. The total value of wine exports to these countries was down by one per cent between January and April at 3.123 billion euros. The volume even fell by 11 per cent to 491,382 tonnes.
Hungary recorded an increase in value of 54 per cent in Japan and 23 per cent in the UK. Greece gained 10 per cent in Japan and 7 per cent in the UK. Both countries gained 10 per cent in Canada.
In contrast, Italy, Portugal and Germany lost in all destination countries, Germany even 31 per cent sales in Canada and 21 per cent in the UK. Elias Gagas, Green of OENsights, attributes the declines in volumes in part to problems in supply chains and inflation, so that "less wine is transported at a higher price. Producers in Germany will be able to explain it better, but we have seen an increase in shipments of bulk wine from Germany, which could have a negative impact on the overall export value." In addition, much of the wine produced in Germany would be consumed in the domestic market, while China, formerly one of Germany's biggest export markets, has seen a decline.
Gagas attributes Greece's success to the fact that the UK has become a premium market for Greece in recent years, whereas previously the focus was on cheap mass-produced wines.
(al / source: Harpers)