Austrian wines reach export high
According to the latest figures from Statistics Austria, value rose by 6.4% to reach €231.3m / $249m (against a background where volumes slipped 3.5%). The country’s wine industry has now set its sights on reaching the quarter-of-a-billion euro milestone.
Growth was driven by Austria’s white Qualitätswein (wine with a protected designation of origin), which was up 7.9% in value; and the sparkling Sekt category, up 19.3%.
The export price per liter also reached a record level of €3.42.
“Success in the export markets, and especially the record average price, is very important for our wine industry. The current wave of inflation is also hitting our winegrowers hard, which is why we need to focus on growing their added value,” said Chris Yorke, CEO of Austrian Wine (Austrian Wine Marketing Board).
Top destinations
Germany continues to be the top export market: taking a 40.5% share of sales. This is followed by Switzerland (11.1%) and the US (9.1%).
“Already at last year’s VieVinum, Austria’s largest wine fair, we began to notice that our wines are in very high demand in certain countries, such as Canada, the USA and in Northern Europe," said Yorke. "Consumers in these markets are looking for high-quality, environmentally consciously produced wines and also pay good prices for them. That’s a perfect match for us!”
Over the last five years, the value of exports to the Canadian market has grown more than sevenfold. This trend continued in 2022: with a 46.7% increase in export value to €10.7m.
The USA was also on the upswing again in 2022, recording a 11.2% rise in value.
Strong growth was also seen in the Netherlands (+17.0% in value) and Scandinavia, e.g. Sweden (+7.2% in value), Denmark (+29.4% in value) and Finland (+62.3% in value).
Switzerland, Austria’s second most important export market, also witnessed a respectable rise of 8.6%. In Austria’s biggest export market, Germany, exports of cheaper bulk wine increased to the detriment of bottled wine, resulting in a slight drop in export value (-1.3%).
The UK was on a downward trajectory in 2022, dropping 38% in value. “As a result of Brexit, working this market has become more complicated and challenging,” notes the organization.
Following a strong increase in 2021 (+77.9%), the volatile Chinese market fell again slightly (-15.8% in value).
However, after several years of stagnation, the prestigious Japanese export market grew considerably (+61.3%). Strong growth (+26.4% in value) was also recorded in South Korea, which is identified by Austria wine as an emerging as a promising future market for Austrian wines.
