Industry data released last week in France showed that French wine and spirits exports reached a new record in 2018, with exports reaching 13.2 billion euros. However, the total amount of French wines and spirits sold to China declined significantly.
According to data released last week by the French Wine and Spirits Exporters Association (FEVS), although the export volume reached a new high, the total export volume of French wines and spirits fell by 2.7%, of which stationary wine is the main reason for the decline in exports. ─ Due to the sharp decline in French wine production in 2017, France’s still wine exports fell by 9.8% last year.
However, according to the International Organization for Wine and Wine (OIV) forecast, French wine production will rebound sharply in 2018, up 27% from 2017, reaching 4.64 billion liters, so the export of French still wines in 2019 The volume is also expected to usher in a rebound.
The overall increase in exports is mainly due to the continued development of Cgonac. According to FEVS data, Cognac has achieved an increase in exports for the fourth consecutive year. This also makes the total export volume of French wines and spirits exceed the 13 billion euro mark for the first time.
Exports to China decline
According to FEVS, China is the third largest export market for French wines, but last year’s total export value fell by 14.4% to just 1 billion euros, indicating that China’s economic slowdown has had an impact on alcohol consumption.
But the association also pointed out that the increase in exports to Singapore and Hong Kong partially compensated for the weak sales in the Chinese market. In addition, some French wines exported to Singapore and Hong Kong will also enter the Chinese market indirectly.
Overall, the total amount of French alcoholic products sold to Singapore, Hong Kong and China last year fell by 1.5% to 2.5 billion euros. Prior to this, the Chinese middle class’s interest in imported alcoholic goods had allowed French wines to enjoy double-digit growth for many years.
The largest market in the United States continues to grow
The largest export market for French wines and spirits is still in the United States, and the export value has increased by 4.6%. In fact, the export performance of French wine in non-EU countries is still eye-catching. Although the Chinese market has experienced a decline for the first time in a long time, the export volume of French wines and spirits in non-EU countries still rose by 2.6% to 8.7 billion euros. Two-thirds of the export value.
