Sold EU wine production tops 16.1bn litres in 2022

The latest figures from Eurostat have revealed that the amount of sold wine production in 2022 across the European Union (EU) was 16.1 billion litres.

The news, which includes sparkling wine, port and grape must, has seen three specific wine producing countries amount for 83% of the entirety of the bloc’s production.

Italy and Spain contributed nearly 5 billion litres, which together represented almost two-thirds of sold production (62%).

France had 3.4 billion litres of sold wine production, which was a fifth of the total (20%). Other notable producers exceeding 1% of the overall total included Germany at 4%, Portugal – more than 2% of the total, and Hungary, which was below 2%.

Italy

In 2022, the EU members exported 7.2bn litres of wine. Almost half of this was exported to countries outside the EU – 3.2bn litres or 44% of the total sum. Most of the wine was exported to the UK, which made up almost a quarter (23%) – 0.7bn litres of extra-EU exports. This was followed by the United States at a similar level – 0.7bn litres – or 22%. Interestingly, Russia was the third largest market at 9% or 0.3bn litres of wine, followed by Canada at 0.2bn litres or 6%.

Italy was by far the top exporter of wine, with exports of 2.2bn litres in 2022, representing 30% of the EU members’ exports of wine. It was followed by Spain at just under a third (29%) and France at a fifth (19%).

Fall in overall production

The news follows the announcement by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) that drought and disease have caused wine production to hit a 60-year low in 2023, although a reduced 2023 harvest could help alleviate oversupply due to falling consumption.

According to the OIV, based on the information from 29 countries – which account for 94% of global production – the amount of wine made in 2023 is believed to lie between 241.7mhl and 246.6mhl, with a mid-range estimate of 244.1mhl.

This represents a 7% drop compared to the already below-average volume of 2022, and makes 2023 the smallest harvest since 1961, which amounted to 214mhl, said head of the OIV’s statistical department, Giorgio Delgrosso, yesterday.

Earlier this year, it was also announced that France had overtaken Italy in terms of overall wine production for the first time in nine years, following a challenging harvest for their southern neighbours, as climate change is blamed for the decline.

Climate change

According to a statement from the food and agriculture body, the Istituto di Servizi per il Mercato Agricolo Alimentary (ISMEA), Italian wine production dropped to “just below” 44 million hectolitres, which was down 12% compared to 50 million last year.

The harvest forecasts of the Assoenologi Observatory, ISMEA and the Italian Wine Union, stated it could be the lightest harvest of the last six years, characterised by the “now chronic effects of climate change” which created extreme weather patterns, including more than 70% rainy days in the first 8 months of last year, and created a number of differences throughout the country.

But despite the news, in August it was also announced by the French agriculture ministry that it was injecting €200m to help assist producers with a dramatic surplus, and to destroy the wine and make it into perfume and other products.