U.S. wine imports fell sharply in the first half of 2026, with value dropping more than twice as fast as volume, according to analysis of U.S. customs data by Spain's Interprofessional Wine Organisation (OIVE). From January through June, the United States imported 536.8 million litres of wine worth 2.43 billion euros, down 16.8 percent in volume and 25.2 percent in value compared with the first half of 2025. Spending fell by 816.4 million euros, and the average import price declined 10.1 percent to 4.52 euros per litre.
OIVE attributes the slump largely to U.S. tariff policy, alongside the broader consumer drift away from wine. The 15 percent U.S. tariff on European Union products took effect in August 2025 and remained in place through the entire half-year. Every major supplier detailed in the report posted lower sales in both euro terms and litres versus the first half of 2025.
France leads by value, Italy by volume
| Supplier | Value (million euros) | Share of value | Volume (million litres) | Change vs H1 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 955.8 | 39.4% | 99.0 | Value down 25% |
| Italy | 790.9 | 32.6% | 170.2 | Down in value and volume |
| New Zealand | 208.1 | 8.6% | n/a | Value down 14% |
| Spain | 133.7 | 5.5% | n/a | Value down 20.9% |
France and Italy together made up 72 percent of U.S. wine import value and 50.2 percent of volume. The top four suppliers by value, France, Italy, New Zealand and Spain, accounted for 86.1 percent of total U.S. spending on imported wine. In absolute terms, Australia showed the biggest volume reduction, shipping 25.9 million litres less than a year earlier.
Bottled wine bears the brunt
Bottled wine, 70 percent of imports, fell 12.4 percent in volume and 26.6 percent in value to 318 million litres worth 1.69 billion euros. The average bottled price dropped 16.2 percent to 5.32 euros per litre, a steeper decline than the overall market, suggesting importers and exporters absorbed tariff costs by trading down in price rather than passing the full duty through to U.S. buyers.
The data complicates the standard tariff narrative. Duties should, all else equal, raise import prices; instead, average prices fell by double digits. That points to a mix of discounting to hold shelf space, a shift toward lower-priced wines within each origin, and weak underlying demand doing more damage than the tariff schedule alone.
What to watch in the second half: the July reduction of the EU rate to 10 percent should ease some pressure on European suppliers, while the September 29 ban on packaged Canadian wine removes a smaller but real supply source. Whether lower duties translate into recovered volumes, or simply wider margins on continued declines, will be the trade's key question into 2027.