In this article, we are going to discuss the top 20 wine exporting countries in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of the global wine market, sustainable wine-making and the companies making strides in producing wine sustainably, and the long-term prospects of sustainable viniculture, and go directly to Top 5 Wine Exporting Countries in the World.
Over the last 150 years, wine making has been totally revolutionized as an art and a science. With access to refrigeration, it has become easier for wineries to control the temperature of the fermentation process and produce high quality wines in hot climates. The introduction of harvesting machines has allowed winemakers to increase the size of their vineyards and make them more efficient. Although the wine industry faces the challenge of meeting the demands of an ever-larger market without losing the individual character of its wines, technology helps to ensure a consistent supply of quality wines.
Global Wine Market:
As we mentioned in our article – 16 Best Red Wines for Beginners and Casual Drinking– , the global wine market size was valued at $441.6 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a value of $698.54 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 5.9% over the forecast period.
Wine is gaining huge popularity among millennials and youngsters, owing to its refreshing appeal and low ABV offerings. The rising demand for premium and luxury wines, increasing consumer awareness about the health benefits of wine, and growing popularity of wine tourism are some of the key factors driving the growth of the wine market.
Sustainable Wine-Making:
When we talk about sustainable wine-making, it is usually about the entire process and not just the additives at the end. There has been a concerted effort across the entire wine industry to transition towards biodiversity and organic farming. This means no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers, and an all-around effort to promote a variety of plant life in the vineyard. In short – growing grapes in a way that is harmonious with nature. This is an approach that a massive amount of wine producers have embraced.
Based in California, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) makes wines and calls itself a manufacturing company, agricultural company, and marketing company all rolled into one. As one of North America’s premier producers, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) is dedicated to implementing responsible, sustainable practice in its vineyards.
The portfolio releases an annual report that summarizes its continued efforts to improve its environmentally focused practices at its vineyards and wineries. The company has earned several key certifications, including LEED Gold certification at Goldeneye Winery, California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) certification for the estate vineyards on Mt. Harlan, and Fish Friendly Farming (FFF) certification at all of its North Coast Estate vineyards.
Stocks of NAPA were held by 20 out of 910 hedge funds in the Insider Monkey database at the end of Q2 2023, with Select Equity Group holding the largest stake of over 6.4 million shares, valued at $83.12 million. The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) ranks among the 12 Best Alcohol Stocks to Own According to Hedge Funds.
Similarly, the Nevada-based Vintage Wine Estates, Inc. (NASDAQ:VWE) is a family of wineries and wines whose singular focus is producing the finest quality wines and incredible customer experiences. The company has certified all its California Estate wineries and vineyards through the California Certified Winegrowers Alliance, with one vineyard (Laetitia Estate Vineyards) certified through Sustainability in Practice (SIP).
Vintage Wine Estates, Inc. (NASDAQ:VWE)’s certified sustainable vineyards and wineries produce high quality grapes and wine, adhering to sustainable winegrowing and winemaking practices that are environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable.
Stocks of Vintage Wine Estates, Inc. (NASDAQ:VWE) were held by 5 out of 910 hedge funds in the Insider Monkey database at the end of Q2 2023, with Paradice Investment Management holding the largest stake of over 3.89 million shares, valued at $3.33 million.
Long-Term Prospects of Sustainable Viniculture:
The sustainability efforts over the last decade have amounted to a staggering investment by the wine industry – in cash terms, but also in time and intellectual energy. However, its reward in the consumer marketplace has been mixed. Consumers feel good about the idea of sustainability in the products they buy, but appear to be less keen on paying a premium to acquire them.
Which begs the question – if sustainability struggles to justify its premium pricing in good times, what happens when inflation and energy costs are decimating consumers’ spending power? Will sustainability, to draw on an old environmentalist analogy, go the way of the dodo?
From the evidence at hand, the impact of either an upcoming recession or a significant slowdown in growth in major economies may reduce desire for sustainable products. However, in the long term, the long-run demographic and lifestyle trends are acting as tailwinds for sustainable winemaking.
Desire to buy wine that is billed as sustainable shows a stark generational divide between younger consumers, those typically in their 20s and 30s, who are strongly motivated to buy in the category, and older consumers, in their 50s or 60s and beyond, who are largely unmoved by sustainability claims. These older drinkers currently dominate most major developed markets in terms of volumes consumed, and they also tend to be, in general, much more price-conscious.
Wind the clock forward 5 or 10 years and these younger consumers will be entering their main wine drinking years, and their desires and tastes will start to dominate the category. If they can carry a positive view of sustainable wine into this era, their behavior may fundamentally shift sustainable wines into a more mainstream position within the category.
With that said, here are the Countries with the Highest Wine Exports.
Top 20 Wine Exporting Countries in the World
Methodology:
To collect data for this article, we have referred to the UN Comtrade Database, looking for Countries that Export the Most Wine in the World. The following countries have been ranked by the dollar value of their total wine exports in 2022:
20. Lithuania
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $215.64 million
The Lithuanian wine market is by far the largest in the Baltics, growing steadily at an annual rate of 10-15%. It is estimated that up to 75% of wine that enters Lithuania is re-exported to the other Baltic countries. The country also serves as the E.U.'s gateway to Russia's wine market. 92% of Lithuania's wine exports go to Russia, while most of the rest go to Kazakhstan and Belarus.
19. Georgia
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $252.55 million
Georgia has a long and rich history of producing quality wines. With around 48,000 hectares of vineyards under cultivation, the Caucasian country exports wine worldwide, with sales growing rapidly, particularly in the U.S. Georgia sits among the Top 20 Alcohol Drinking Countries in the World.
18. Austria
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $266.06 million
Austria is responsible for almost 1% of the global wine production, 30% of which is exported. The wine growing area in the country totals 113,000 acres and is managed by 23,000 wine growers. Austrian wine is some of the most quality-focused in Europe.
17. Denmark
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $290.39 million
Denmark is a wineland and Danish wine has been gaining in popularity since it officially became a wine producing country in 2000. The two main wine producing regions are North Jutland and South Denmark, plus the islands of Zealand and Funen.
Hong Kong is strategically positioned as one of Asia’s leading wine re-export centers. Hong Kong has an abundance of experienced fine wine merchants with specialist knowledge and international wine trade experience. In February 2008, with the demand for wine growing in Asia, the Hong Kong government removed all duty‑related customs and administrative controls for wine in order to encourage the development of the region as a wine trading and distribution center, particularly for mainland China.
15. Belgium
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $309.54 million
Belgium is famous for its great beers but it also produces some fantastic, award-winning wines. The country is particularly famous for its white and sparkling varieties. The two main wine regions in Belgium are Flanders and Wallonia. The main destinations for Belgian wine exports are the U.K., the Netherlands, and France.
Belgium is among the top wine exporting countries in Europe.
14. Netherlands
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $523.89 million
The port of Rotterdam plays a major role in the redistribution of goods through Europe, so foreign wines are first imported into the Netherlands and then re-exported to the rest of the European countries. Norway was the primary importer of wines from the Netherlands in 2022, with a value of more than $138.7 million.
13. Singapore
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $573.15 million
The port of Singapore is the second-busiest in the world, and considered the hub of entrepôt trade and a gateway to other Asian markets. The country is competing with Hong Kong for the status of Asia’s wine hub as growing numbers of wine collectors and connoisseurs spur the market.
Singapore imported 32.3 million liters in 2021 and it is estimated that around 16.9 million liters of that imported wine is then re-exported, mainly to Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, China, Thailand, and Malaysia.
12. United Kingdom
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $681.88 million
Although beer may be the alcohol most associated with the United Kingdom and its pub culture, wine also has a strong following in the country. The U.K wine market is very mature and around 49% of the population are regular – at least monthly – wine drinkers.
Around 72% of the U.K. wine exports are destined to countries in the E.U. The U.K. is among the countries that export the most wine.
11. South Africa
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $694.62 million
Almost half of all wine produced in South Africa is exported, with Europe being the most important market. In 2022, 542 wineries harvested just over 1.4 million tonnes of grapes to produce 10.2 million hectoliters of wine. More than 300,000 people are employed in the country’s winemaking industry.
10. Argentina
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $813.77 million
Argentina has a rich wine culture and grape cultivation covers around 218,232 hectares in the country. The South American country’s flagship vintage is Malbec, accounting for 63% of its annual wine exports. Today, Argentina exports around 20% of its wine, with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Brazil being its most important markets.
The vast quantity of native grape varieties in Portugal (more than 250) allows the production of a great diversity of wines with very distinct personalities. Exports of Portuguese wines also totalled $477.7 million in the first quarter of 2023, a rise of 3.9% relative to the first half of last year.
Portugal is counted among the top 10 wine exporting countries in 2023.
8. Germany
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $1.12 billion
The German wine industry is most famous for its world-class Riesling, produced along the river Rhein and its tributary the Mosel. The cool climate in the country is ideal for white wine varieties with intense minerality, thanks to the wide range of different soil types throughout Germany.
The three biggest wine producing regions in New Zealand are Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay, and Gisborne, with the first way out ahead of the rest in terms of the volume of wine produced. The country’s wine producers increased export sales by a record 23% over the past year, according to official figures.
6. Australia
Total Wine Exports in 2022: $1.45 billion
Australia produced 12.7 mhl of wine in 2022, a decrease of 14% from the previous year when it produced 14.7 mhl. The transportation issues last year caused reported difficulties in getting wine to the market. Compounding this was a further impact of a reduction in sales that added to wine production capacity constraints for the country’s wineries.
The value of Australian wine exports also fell by 7% in the last year compared to 2021, driven mainly by a 20% year-on-year decline in exports to its biggest market – the U.K.
Australia ranks 6th in our list of top wine exporting countries.
