Wine: European Union Confirms Itself as World Production Leader

Europe, thanks to the trio of countries – Italy, France, and Spain – firmly holds the world leadership in the wine sector “both in terms of production volume and generated turnover.” That’s the leitmotif of PwC’s latest study titled “Economic and Social Impact of the Wine Sector in the EU,” released Tuesday, April 9. “In 2022,” the study wrote, “the European Union confirmed itself as the world’s production leader, producing 165 million hectoliters of wine. The total value of the wine sector reaches 100.3 billion euros. Viticulture, wine industry, and marketing contribute €130 billion to the EU’s gross domestic product, which corresponds to 0.8% of the European Union’s GDP.”

But European leadership in wine, as PwC analysts emphasize, is also confirmed from a commercial point of view: “In 2022,” the report writes, “European wine was exported to 194 countries, with sales totaling €17.9 billion.” The development of the wine industry is also very important in terms of employment. The European wine sector employs about 2.9 million people: 21.5% are employed in viticulture, 10% in winemaking, and 68.5% in marketing. “In a macroeconomic context, where more and more companies are delocalizing their production,” PwC commented, “the European wine sector still retains a strong economic, social, and cultural value in the EU territories.”

Among the main importing countries of European wine are the US, UK, Canada, and China, which together “absorb” 67% of all European exports. “This flow of overseas sales has reduced the EU’s trade deficit by 3.7% in 2022,” PwC experts emphasized.

Key highlights of the PwC report

• EU confirms itself as a world leader by producing 165 million hectoliters of wine in 2022
• The total value of the wine sector reaches €100.3 billion
• Viticulture, wine industry, and marketing contribute €130 billion to GDP, corresponding to 0.8% of EU GDP
• In 2022, European wine was exported to 194 countries with a value of €17.9 billion
• The wine sector employs about 2.9 million people
• In 2022, the tourism sector around wine transported around 36 million people

To download the PwC report in PDF format (in English) from our website, please click the following link