In 2023, the European Union (EU) produced 1.496 billion liters of sparkling wine made from fresh grapes, reflecting an 8% decrease compared to the previous year’s production of 1.624 billion liters. The decrease in production marks a shift following a steady output in previous years, with Italy, France, and Germany remaining the top producers.
Italy led the EU’s sparkling wine production with 638 million liters, followed by France, which produced 312 million liters, including 224 million liters of champagne and 88 million liters of other sparkling wines. Germany ranked third with 263 million liters, while Spain and Portugal produced 206 million and 25 million liters, respectively.
Export Trends: Slight Decline, Prosecco Dominates
In 2023, the EU exported 600 million liters of sparkling wine to non-EU countries, representing an 8% drop from the 649 million liters exported in 2022. Despite this decline, the export volume remained higher than in earlier years, surpassing figures from 2018 (498 million liters), 2019 (528 million liters), and 2020 (495 million liters).
The top export category was prosecco, which accounted for 44% of total exports, or 266 million liters. Other key sparkling wine exports included sparkling wine made from fresh grapes (17%, or 100 million liters), champagne (15%, or 91 million liters), cava (10%, or 60 million liters), and sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin (PDO) (6%, or 33 million liters).
On the import side, EU countries brought in 5 million liters of sparkling wine from non-EU nations, making up less than 1% of the volume exported.
Summary
Although the production and export of EU sparkling wines showed a slight decline in 2023, Italy, France, and Germany continued to dominate the industry. Prosecco remained the most popular sparkling wine in global markets, while overall EU exports continued to outpace historical averages.
Related topics:
