In 2022, the global trade of bulk wine achieved a revenue growth of over €130m million (+5.2%). According to the World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE), the worldwide trade amounted to €2.67 bn, with an average price of €78 per hl (+13.3%). Due to economic uncertainties and high inflation, the export volume decreased by 7.2 % to 34.2m hl. Consequently, bulk wine represents approximately 33% of the total volume and 7% of the total value of the global wine trade.
Ups and downs
Spain maintains its position as the largest bulk wine provider. Despite a decline in exported quantity by 11% to 11.54m hl, revenue increased by 11.3% to €534m. Spain experienced the strongest price increase of 25%, reaching €46 per hl. As the world's largest bulk wine exporter, it remains one of the most affordable options. However, Spain is penalized by the markets for its efforts to improve production efficiency.
Italy maintained nearly unchanged exports at 3.74m hl, securing its position as the second-largest bulk wine supplier. Australia follows closely, exporting 3.73m hl (+6.8%). Other leading exporters include Chile with 3.26m (-27.9%) and South Africa with 2.44m hl (-2.4%).
New Zealand increased its exported quantity by 7.4% to 1.2m hl, becoming the highest seller in value, which almost increased by 20% to €340m (+ €56m). The Kiwis can celebrate having the highest global average price of €282/hl.
German exports experienced a significant increase of 73.6%. However, this only corresponds to a growth of 6.7m liters. Hungary and Portugal also saw an increase in their exports, while Argentina, Moldova, and Slovakia suffered significant declines. According to the WBWE, the United States and France have exported approximately 30% less bulk wine.
Bag-in-Box on the path to success?
Germany lost its position as the leading distributor of Bag-in-Box (BiB) wines. German BiB exports reached a volume of 44.3m liters, reflecting a decline of 19.2%. Despite this decrease, Germany retains its third place among the world's leading exporters of BiB wines.
Although Spain is one of the major losers in terms of quantity, it leads the trade of BiB wines, experiencing a 9.5% increase to 57.2m liters. Italy also surpassed Germany with 47.6m liters. In terms of the value of exported BiBs, Germany experiences an even stronger decline of 11.1%, placing it in fourth position behind France (€134m, +0.7%), Italy (€111m, +6.3%), and Spain (€73.5m, +12.7%).
In terms of value, the trade of BiB wines showed a positive development, despite a 4.2% decline in global volume to 3.76m hl. Even with the smaller volume, BiB wines surpassed the 700-million-euro mark for the first time, achieving a value of €703m (+6.6%). A new record was set with an average price of €1.87(+11,3%) per liter.
