The United States pulled back on wine imports in the first half of 2026, with declines in both value and volume.
According to US customs data analyzed by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organization (OIVE), foreign wine purchases totaled €2.424 billion, down 25.2% from the same period in 2025, on volumes of 536.8 million liters, down 16.8%.
Because value fell faster than volume, the average price per liter also dropped — to €4.52, a decrease of 10.1%.
The steepest adjustment came in bottled wine, a category covering sparkling wine, still bottled wine, and Bag-in-Box. US imports in this segment closed the first half at €2.339 billion, down 24.7%, on 416.5 million liters, down 11.1%. Average price fell 15.4%, to €5.62 per liter.
Bulk wine imports declined as well, though the drop was even steeper in percentage terms: value fell 36.4% to €85.9 million, while volume dropped 31.9% to 120.3 million liters. Average price for bulk wine came in at €0.71 per liter, down 6.5%.
Spain's position in this market was mixed depending on category. Among bottled wine suppliers, Spain ranked fourth in both value and volume, with sales of €132.9 million (down 21%) on 28.5 million liters (down 16.1%). In bulk wine, Spain's footprint was far smaller: €0.82 million and 0.79 million liters, placing it eighth in both measures.
By country, France remained the top wine supplier to the US by value, with €955.4 million, down 25.3% from the first half of 2025. Italy followed in second place with €790.5 million, down 25.0%.
The rankings shift when measured by volume. Italy took the lead with 170.2 million liters, down 9.8%, while France came in second with 99 million liters, down 5.3%. Canada rounded out the top three by volume with 63.9 million liters, down 21.5%.
Per OIVE's analysis, the leading suppliers of wine to the United States by value in the first half of 2026 were France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Portugal, and Germany.
Source: Vinetur