Italy’s wine exports picked up again at the end of 2020, improving the export balance to a loss of only 2.2 percent compared to 2019. In October 2020, the losses were still at 3.4 percent. According to the statistics office Istat, the total value was €6.29 billion (2019: €6.43 billion). That is still 0.8 percent more than in 2018.
However, the USA, Italy's strongest market, fell by 5.6 percent to €1.45 billion. In Germany, Italy benefited from the strong presence of its wines in food retail. Sales rose by 3.9 percent to €1.08 billion. In the UK, sales fell by 6.4 percent (€714 million). Switzerland remains stable at €382 million (+0.3 percent), and Canada comes in at €347 million with a delicate gain of 1.4 percent.
In Northern Europe, business is delivering well. Sweden generated a gain of 4.9 percent (€189 million). The Netherlands bought 17.5 percent more Italian wine (€194 million), and Norway even drank its way up by 29.4 percent to €123 million.
France continues to fall and imports 10.7 percent (€184 million) less wine from its neighbour, but also has to cope with much higher export losses than Italy. The loss of 3.6 percent in Russia (€126 million) can be assessed as a recovery, because it was still at 4.2 percent in November. In Austria, the decline of 2.3 percent (€104.4 million) is within limits.
In Asia, the results are poor. Only South Korea, which also excelled in its crisis management, is the exception with a sharp increase of 30 percent, albeit on a small basis (€43 million). In China, imports plummeted by 26.5 percent. The country, in which Italy has been investing millions and millions for years through EU sales promotion for third countries, still brought in €98 million. On the Japanese market, the Italians lost 15.6 percent (€154 million). vc
