A new report, the Total Beverage Alcohol Overview for June 2020, reveals the value of total beverage alcohol imports in the US (including bulk and packaged) fell 2% by value over the last twelve months and plummeted 24% by value over the last three months.
The report reveals Italy was the biggest bottled wine exporter into the US, while Canada is the main destination for bottled US wine. The US is the world’s largest wine market, with the largest population of regular wine drinkers and the largest amount of imported wine by value. The still wine market is around 360 million cases per annum and is forecast to grow to approximately 368 million cases by 2023.[1]
For a breakdown to 20 June 2020 see the chart below.
However, wine imports fared better than the alcohol category overall, which also consists of beer and spirits. Imported packaged wine for the last twelve months grew 6% by volume and declined only 3% by value. Over the last three months volumes grew 4%, though values fell 21%.
Italy was the main bottled wine exporter into the US, the report reveals, with 35% of all imported packaged wine by value arriving from Italy while 26% arrived from New Zealand. Australia is also a significant importer into the US and the third largest source of wine imports into the US by volume (combined bottled and bulk) and fifth largest by value, according to Wine Australia. The US is Australia’s second largest export market, accounting for approximately 15% of exported wine value in 2018-19.
However, while the US is the world’s biggest wine market by value, per capita, wine consumption is well below that of Australia and many European countries. Per capita consumption of wine in the US was just 9.9 litres per head in 2018, which was less than half the Australian average and 33rd in the world.
According to the Total Beverage Alcohol Overview, volumes for imported bulk wine in the US for the last twelve months jumped 16% by volume while values grew 10% by value. Over the last three months volumes grew 2% and grew 3% by value.
From the US to other countries, exported packaged wine for the last twelve months declined 11% by volume and declined 10% by value. Over the last three months volumes dropped 30% 26% by value. Of those bottled wine exports, 39% of all exported packaged wine by value is destined for Canada while 56% of all exported bulk wine by value is destined for United Kingdom.
[1] https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/united-states
