Italian wine exports showed little improvement in May, with overseas sales holding at roughly the same pace of decline seen a month earlier, even as key markets including the United States, Germany and Britain weakened further.
According to Istat data released Tuesday and reviewed by WineNews, Italy exported 2.98 billion euros worth of wine from January through May, down 6.86% from the same period in 2025. Export volumes also fell, reaching 809.1 million liters, down 5% from a year earlier. That was worse than the 3.7% decline recorded through April, a sign that shipments by volume lost momentum even as the value trend appeared to stabilize.
The figures suggest that the partial recovery seen in recent months has not been enough to erase the gap created earlier in the year. The comparison is also shaped by unusual buying patterns in early 2025, when importers accelerated purchases ahead of tariffs that later took effect. That front-loading had already weighed on January’s numbers, and the latest data show that the rebound that followed has remained limited.
The United States remained the largest foreign market for Italian wine by a wide margin, but it also remained one of the weakest among the major destinations. Italian wine exports to the U.S. totaled 709 million euros in the first five months of the year, down 15.4% from the same period in 2025. Volumes shipped to the U.S. came to 141.5 million liters, down 6%. The value decline was broadly in line with the trend seen through April, while the drop in volumes was sharper than in the previous monthly reading.
Germany, Italy’s biggest market in Europe and its second-largest worldwide, imported 439.1 million euros worth of Italian wine, down 8.2%. Volumes to Germany fell 9.3% to 180 million liters. Britain also remained in negative territory. Exports there reached 278.5 million euros, down 6.5%, while volumes slipped 6.6% to 88.5 million liters. Together, those three markets accounted for a large share of the weakness in Italy’s overall performance.
Canada offered the first sign of stability among the leading destinations. Exports to Canada totaled 159.5 million euros, unchanged from the same period last year. Switzerland followed at 143.8 million euros, but remained down 12.7%, the same decline reported through April. France, another significant market for Italian wine, slipped into negative territory at 127.1 million euros, down 2.9%.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Netherlands imported 97.9 million euros worth of Italian wine, down 6.6%, while Belgium fell by double digits to 79.2 million euros, a decline of 12.6%. Sweden was somewhat steadier at 78.4 million euros, down 2.4%. Russia stood out in the opposite direction. Imports there rose 17.4% to 71.9 million euros, though the pace of growth slowed from earlier in the year, suggesting that buying activity has begun to cool.
In Asia, Japan recovered from the softer trend seen in April and was nearly flat year over year. Exports to Japan reached 99.7 million euros, down just 0.2%. China posted one of the strongest percentage gains in the group, rising 18% to 34.1 million euros, though from a much smaller base than the main Western markets. Brazil also turned in a strong performance among emerging markets, with imports up 15.2% to 16.9 million euros.
Australia moved in the other direction. Exports there totaled 23.4 million euros, down 16.9%, adding to the list of markets where Italian wine producers faced weaker demand or more difficult trading conditions in the first part of the year.
The latest figures leave Italy’s wine sector still under pressure after several months in which the losses narrowed but did not disappear. The value trend through May was almost unchanged from April, while volumes deteriorated. That combination matters for producers because it suggests that price and product mix have helped cushion the decline, but not enough to restart growth in physical shipments.
The data arrive at a sensitive time for Italian wineries, which are now turning their attention to the coming harvest while still dealing with high inventories in cellars. With stocks elevated and the largest export markets still below last year’s levels, the next months will be watched closely across the sector, especially in the United States, where demand remains far below 2025, and in Europe, where Germany and Britain continue to weigh on the overall balance.
