Italian Wine Exports Slow Their Decline in February

Italian wine exports continued to fall in February 2026, but the pace of decline eased from January, offering at least a modest sign of stabilization after a difficult start to the year.

According to Istat data analyzed by WineNews, exports reached 1 billion euros in the first two months of 2026, down 13.3% from the same period in 2025. That was still a steep drop, but it was less severe than the 18.7% decline recorded after January alone. For February as a single month, exports were down 8.2% from a year earlier, an improvement from January’s 18.7% fall and a sign that the market may be recovering some ground.

Volumes also improved. Shipments totaled 158 million hectoliters in February 2026, down 3.2% from the first two months of 2025. That was a sharper recovery than the January comparison, when volumes had been down 13.3%.

The United States remained by far the most important foreign market for Italian wine, even as sales there weakened sharply. Exports to the U.S. fell to 243.4 million euros in the first two months of 2026, down 27.48% from the same period in 2025. That was still a major decline, though better than January’s 35.2% drop. Volumes to the U.S. reached 27.3 million hectoliters, down 11.5%, improving from January’s 19.3% decline.

Germany, Italy’s largest market in Europe, also showed a softer pace of contraction. Exports there came to about 162.7 million euros, down 9.1% year over year, compared with a 15.1% drop in January alone.

Britain ranked third among major markets, with imports of Italian wine at 93.4 million euros, down 12.9%, but again better than January’s 18.6% decline. Canada followed with 60.78 million euros in imports, down just 2.5%, an improvement of six percentage points from the previous month.

Among other European markets, Switzerland stood at 50.5 million euros, down 15.3%; France at 39.1 million euros, down 4.1%; the Netherlands at 34.27 million euros, down 8.6%; and Belgium at 29.6 million euros, down 17.5%.

Outside Europe and North America, Japan fell to 24.5 million euros, down 8.3%. Russia moved in the opposite direction, rising sharply to 29.1 million euros, up 45.2%. China also posted a gain after early signs of improvement in January, reaching 10.6 million euros, up 13.6%.

The pattern across major markets suggests that Italian wine exporters are still facing a difficult year, but February brought some relief after January’s sharper losses. One factor may have been the heavy buying seen earlier this year in the United States as importers reacted to fears of new tariffs.

Even so, uncertainty remains high because of geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions and shifting consumer habits that could continue to affect Italian wine exports in the months ahead.