Which Country Imports the Most Wine?

The U.S. was the largest importer of wine in dollar terms last year, shipping $5.71 billion worth of wine into the country. The U.S. and the UK were both top markets for the beverage, each importing over 300 million gallons of wine. While these are major markets for wine, both are preparing for possible instabilities in the market.

Winemakers in Europe, spooked by potential U.S. tariffs from President Trump, are bracing for potentially uncertain times ahead. The administration has proposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on $25 billion on various European items, like cheese, wine, and olive oil. While the tariffs would impact consumer goods like wine, the impetus for the tariffs come from a 15-year long subsidy battle between Boeing and Airbus, aircraft manufactures.

Brexit has also alarmed grocers importing wine into the UK market. The Co-op supermarket and the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) both reported that consumers could feel the effects of a No-deal Brexit in their wine options. Both organizations warned of possible price increases and supply restrictions for consumers buying wine at the grocery store.

While the UK and the U.S. are both major wine importers with looming trade tensions, Germany topped both in the volume of wine the country imports. Germany shipped in 383 million gallons of wine in 2018, the most of any other country in a report released by OIV (link in Spanish). Worldwide countries imported nearly 7.7 billion gallons of alcoholic beverages.