France's wine exports fell in both value and volume in the first half of 2026, according to French customs data analyzed by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE) using Trade Data Monitor.
Foreign sales totaled €5.41 billion, down 2.2% from the same period in 2025, on volumes of 618.9 million liters, down 1.5%. The combination pushed the average price down 0.7%, to €8.74 per liter.
Bottled wine — a category that spans sparkling wine, still bottled wine, and Bag-in-Box — remained the backbone of French exports, accounting for €5,321.1 million (down 2.1%) and 558.9 million liters (down 0.7%). Average price in this segment slipped 1.3% to €9.52 per liter.
Within that broader bottled category, sparkling wine stood out as the one segment moving in the right direction. France exported €1,907.26 million worth of sparkling wine, up 2.6%, on volumes of 99.4 million liters, up 6%. Because volume grew faster than value, the average price actually dropped 3.2%, to €19.19 per liter — a sign that gains came partly from selling more at slightly lower per-liter prices rather than from a stronger price environment.
The steepest losses came from wine packaged in containers under two liters, by far the largest chunk of French export business. This segment brought in €3,323.03 million, down 4.7%, on 432.43 million liters, down 2.1%, with average price falling 2.7% to €7.68 per liter.
Bag-in-Box told a more mixed story: value rose 5.6% to €90.81 million even as volume fell 2.3% to 27.08 million liters, lifting the average price 8.1% to €3.35 per liter. Bulk wine, a much smaller piece of French trade, declined across the board — down 7.9% in value to €88.89 million and down 8% in volume to 59.95 million liters, with average price essentially flat at €1.48 per liter.
By market, the United States remained France's top buyer both by value and volume, though performance there was uneven: sales fell 9.8% to €1,005.5 million even as volume rose 4.3% to 95.3 million liters, pointing to notably lower revenue per liter in that market. The United Kingdom was the second-largest market by value, growing 3.8% to €704.6 million, with volume up 8.5% to 76.7 million liters — making it the third-largest market by volume. Germany, the third-largest market by value at €333.8 million (down 11.3%), was the second-largest by volume at 78.8 million liters (down 6.1%).
Japan held its value steady at €292.5 million, unchanged year-on-year, despite a 2.4% drop in volume to 21.4 million liters. Belgium's purchases declined to €290.4 million and 56.8 million liters, down 4.7% and 6.9% respectively.
Further down the list, Canada imported €239.3 million (down 4.5%), Switzerland €233 million (down 12%), Singapore €229 million (up 8.4%), and the Netherlands €207.3 million (up 0.9%). Hong Kong closed out the top ten by value with €179.1 million, up a strong 17.8%.
By volume, after the top three markets, the largest importers were Belgium (56.8 million liters), the Netherlands (48.7 million), Canada (31.6 million), Sweden (24.3 million), Japan (21.4 million), Switzerland (18.2 million), and China (14.1 million) — with all of these except the top three importing less than they did in the first half of 2025.
Viewed over a longer stretch, the data points to a structural shift in French wine sales. Bottled wine exports, which reached €5,970.1 million in the first half of 2023, have now fallen to €5,321.1 million, below even 2025's €5,432.6 million. Volumes show an even steadier decline, dropping from 631.8 million liters in the first half of 2021 to 558.9 million liters in 2026. Bulk wine has seen a comparable adjustment, falling from €141.7 million and 95.1 million liters in 2021 to €88.9 million and 59.9 million liters in 2026.
Source: Vinetur