The US wine market, the largest in the world with an annual value of around 60 billion dollars, ends 2025 with another negative result. For the fifth consecutive year, according to analyses by the Uiv Observatory based on Sipsource data, wine consumption in the US shows a marked decline: –8.8% in volume and –7.2% in value, considering sales in supermarkets, wine shops, restaurants and bars. Within this trend, Italy performs better than the market average, although still closing in negative territory: –5.2% in volume and –3% in value, compared with a drop close to 10% for US labels.
Despite this downturn, the United States remains an irreplaceable market for Italian wine, with total spending of around 8 billion dollars on Italian bottles.
Prosecco star of the American market, Italian sparklings on the rise
The overall slowdown did not affect Italian sparkling wines, which continue to find fertile ground in the US. Prosecco confirms its role as the ambassador of Italian wine, supporting the category with +3.7% value growth – an undisputed star overseas.
According to the Uiv Observatory, Italian sparkling wines are the only category showing positive commercial values (+2.1%), while reds (–3.9%) and whites (–5.3%) limit losses compared to the rest of the market. Rosé and flavored wines, on the other hand, collapse by around 20 points.
Today, sparkling wines account for 40% of American spending on Italian wines, followed by whites (28%), reds (17%), aromatics (4%) and rosés (3%).
Geographically, consumption of Italian wine in the US is led by the South with 48%, followed by the Northeast (18%), the West (17%) and the Midwest (16%).
Frescobaldi (Uiv): “American trade must do its part”
The president of Unione Italiana Vini, Lamberto Frescobaldi, comments on the current market situation:
“In the past four years, wine volumes consumed in the US have contracted by around 20%; Italian wines have fared better, with an estimated decline of about 12%. In this weakened market environment – further affected by a reduction in purchasing power – the tariff context becomes even more impactful, especially considering the first price increases appearing on shelves. In December, we observed year‑on‑year price growth of around 4%, despite Italian producers having cut their price lists by an average of 10% over the past six months. In such a difficult phase, it would be more appropriate for everyone to do their part to keep demand alive: we are doing ours, while the American trade is doing far less, and this risks becoming a boomerang for them above all. Finally, we must acknowledge the need to accelerate new free‑trade agreements in response to US protectionism, on which we have little hope of a change in direction. The US remains an irreplaceable market for our wine, but with exports set to close 2025 down 9% in value, every new partnership is an opportunity, and a duty, to seize, starting with Mercosur and India.”
A statement that highlights a clear critical issue: Italian producers have already reduced prices, but the US market is not passing these cuts on to the final consumer, undermining the competitiveness of imported labels.
US consumption, Italy’s competitors: France stable, Spain declining, New World struggling
The analysis of competitors confirms a varied landscape. France keeps the value of its sales almost unchanged (–0.2%), supported mainly by white wines and the stability of Champagne. Spain declines by –4.7%.
On the New World front, the only country managing to contain losses is New Zealand (–2.9%), the leader in the white‑wine category. Australia, Chile, Argentina and the United States all show double‑digit declines, with American wines – worth 67% of total value consumption—down by 8.6%.
