Around €52bn in tax revenue is generated from the sector every year, with only 5% of this coming from wine-specific taxes, according to the Committee of European Wine Companies (CEEV), citing a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers Asesores de Negocios (PwC) from 2022.
The profitability of wine producers exceeds that of other agricultural businesses by 15%, and the total value of wine exports from the EU to third countries amounts to almost €18bn.
According to the same report, the wine industry is an enormously important employer, particularly in rural areas, generating 2.9m jobs, or 1.4% of total EU employment. Rural regions where vineyards are increasing also see an accompanying increase in population, compared to regions where vineyards are decreasing.
“A blessing against rural exodus,” says Mauricio González-Gordon, President of the CEEV.
Wine tourism also brings people to rural regions, with 36m wine tourists a year generating an annual turnover of around €15bn. The PwC study defines wine tourists as people who have visited areas with vineyards and are looking for "wine-related experiences". As well as spending money on wine and winery visits, tourists also generate income in other ways; only €1.1bn was generated by visits to wineries and wine museums in 2022.
