The Dutch wine market, one of Europe’s key import-driven markets, faced a notable contraction in the first half of 2025.
According to data from Dutch Customs analyzed by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE), total wine imports declined by 3.3% in value, reaching EUR 694.75 million, and by 11.6% in volume, settling at 178.7 million liters. The drop represents EUR 23.6 million less and 23.3 million liters fewer compared to the same period in 2024.
Interestingly, despite shrinking volumes, the average price of imported wine rose 9.3%, climbing to EUR 3.89 per liter — a reflection of both rising costs and a shift toward higher-value products.
Bottled Wine Leads the Decline, While Sparkling and BiB Wines Grow
Bottled wines — traditionally the dominant category — showed a clear contraction. Imports fell by 3.3% in value (to EUR 687.6 million) and by 11.8% in volume (to 175.4 million liters). Even so, their average price rose by 9.6%, reaching EUR 3.92 per liter.
Conversely, the sparkling wine segment showed resilience, posting 8.8% growth in value (to EUR 82.6 million) and 7.6% in volume (to 9.9 million liters). This confirms an ongoing consumer shift toward festive and lifestyle-oriented drinking occasions.
Bag-in-Box (BiB) wines also performed well, with a 6.8% increase in value (EUR 21.3 million) and a 2.3% increase in volume (10.6 million liters), reflecting consumer interest in convenient and sustainable packaging formats.
Bulk wine, however, continues its downward trend — falling 4.2% in value, even as volume increased slightly by 2.1% to 3.3 million liters, suggesting downward price pressure in this category (average price -6.1% to EUR 2.18/liter).
France Maintains Leadership, Spain and Italy Follow
France remains the leading supplier to the Dutch market, with EUR 197.3 million in exports (+1.4%) and 42.5 million liters (-9.7%). France strengthened its position in value terms, even as volumes dropped, indicating higher average pricing or premiumisation.
Italy ranks second with EUR 116.8 million (-2.5%) and 29 million liters (-4.5%), maintaining steady market relevance.
Germany, in third place, suffered a steeper contraction — -16% in value and -22.9% in volume, reducing its market share to 13.1% by value.
Spain, holding fourth place, recorded EUR 89.6 million (-2.2%) and 24.9 million liters (-14.4%), gaining ground in value share but losing in volume. This highlights a qualitative repositioning of Spanish wines toward higher price points.
Among the top ten supplier countries, only Portugal (+4%) and South Africa (+1.4%) recorded growth in exports to the Netherlands during this period. Germany and Australia faced the most significant declines in market share by volume.
Evolving Price Landscape
The rise in average import prices underscores changing market dynamics:
- France: +12% average price increase.
- Italy: +2% price increase.
- Germany: from EUR 2.82 to EUR 3.07 per liter (+9%).
- Belgium: the sharpest increase, nearing +15%.
These figures reveal both inflationary pressures and a strategic move toward premium segments — a pattern consistent with broader European trends, where value increasingly outweighs volume.
Long-Term Trends Since 2020
An analysis of import evolution since 2020 shows divergent category performance:
- Sparkling wines have demonstrated steady growth, averaging +4.4% annually in value and +10.8% in volume.
- Bulk wines have seen a sharp annual decline of -20.8%, confirming their waning role in the Dutch market.
These data points illustrate a market undergoing structural transformation — prioritizing quality, convenience, and celebration-driven consumption over sheer quantity.
Outlook: A Market in Transition
The decline in total imports does not necessarily signal weakening demand, but rather a rebalancing toward higher-priced, branded, and differentiated products.
The resilience of sparkling and BiB wines, combined with the upward trend in average import prices, suggests that the Dutch consumer is drinking less but better — aligning with wider European consumption patterns.
As importers, distributors, and producers adapt to these shifts, success will likely depend on portfolio diversification, targeted marketing, and alignment with emerging consumer preferences for sustainability, authenticity, and value.
Source: Vinetur