The Austrians have presented their preliminary total year-end figures for 2023 to Statistics Austria. In total, 65m liters of Austrian wine valued at around €238m/$257m (+2.7%) were exported. However, this was accompanied by a 4.7% decrease in quantity. The increase in value can also be attributed to a higher average liter price of €3.66/$3.95. In comparison, the volume decreased by 4.4% in 2022, while the average price was €3.44/$3.71.
"At the beginning of last year, we already recognized that the difficult global economic situation would have a negative impact on our exports. Therefore, we only anticipated slight value growth, which has now been confirmed," comments Chris Yorke, managing director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (ÖWM). "In detail, we see that we had to accept losses particularly in bulk wine, while bottled wine was able to make slight gains. This fundamentally confirms our value-added strategy, although we must of course place the growth in the context of inflation. In discussions with international colleagues, it is evident that Austria is one of the few wine-producing countries that can currently achieve export growth at all.”
Reduced bulk, increased bottled wine
The increasing value growth can be attributed to a strong focus on white wines in bottles, which increased by 7.3%. Compared to this, red wines saw a growth of 3.4%. However, sparkling wines decreased by around one-third in export value, while sparkling wine decreased by approximately one-quarter. Barrel wines, which decreased in value by 3.2%, now account for just under a quarter of the total value.
Made for Germany
In the top 10 markets, Germany has maintained its position as the most important export market and has, for the first time, exceeded the €100m mark. Consequently, with €108.6m/$117m (+14.8% in volume), Germany now accounts for nearly half of the export value. Far behind, Switzerland, the second-largest export market, managed to retain nearly nine percent. However, the Alpine republic experienced significant simultaneous value losses in the Nordic monopoly markets (Finland, Norway, Sweden; -4.1%). PD
Austria's Wine Exports in 2023
- €238.2m/$257m (+2.7%)
- 65.0m liters (-4.7%)
- Average price of €3.66/$3.95 per liter
- Value increases in bottled wines (+7.3% white wine, +3.4% red wine)
- Decrease in value for bulk wine (-3.2%)
- Germany with significant value growth (+14.8%)
- Decline in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the USA
- Increases in Canada and Asia
(Source: Statistics Austria, preliminary export figures for 2023, as of March 2024)
