BRUSSELS – In 2023, Belgium’s wine import market faced a challenging year, witnessing significant declines in both value and volume. According to Belgian Customs, the total value of wine imports dropped by 9.8%, settling at €1.1738 billion, while the volume fell by 10.8% to 302.9 million liters. This decline represents a loss of €127.5 million and 36.5 million liters compared to the previous year. Despite this downturn, the average price per liter increased slightly by 1.1%, reaching a record high of €3.88.
Belgium serves a crucial role not only as a consumer but also as a key distributor of wines across Europe. Approximately 47% of the wine imported into Belgium is re-exported, predominantly to the United Kingdom. Brexit has significantly influenced this trend, boosting wine re-exports from Belgium to the UK to 100 million liters annually over the past three years.
Across all categories, wine imports into Belgium fell in both value and volume. Packaged wine, the largest segment of Belgian imports, saw a 13.5% drop in volume and a 10.7% decline in value, despite a 3.2% increase in average price to €4.32 per liter. Sparkling wine, the second most imported category, experienced an 8.9% decrease in volume and an 8.3% fall in value, with its average price rising marginally by 0.7% to €5.80 per liter.
Bulk wine and bag-in-box (BiB) formats also suffered reductions. Bulk wine imports fell by 3.8% in volume and 7.3% in value, with the average price decreasing by 3.6% to €1.08 per liter. BiB imports dropped by 8.2% in volume and 8.9% in value, with the average price falling to €1.55 per liter.
Key Suppliers Face Challenges
France, Belgium’s primary wine supplier, faced notable declines. In 2023, Belgium imported 100.7 million liters of French wine, a 7.6% decrease from 2022, amounting to €590.9 million in value, down 9.6%. These figures are the lowest recorded since the start of the century.
Italy, the second largest supplier, also saw a downturn with a 10% drop in volume and an 8% decrease in value, totaling 60.6 million liters and €195.2 million, respectively. The average price of Italian wine rose by 2.5%, reaching €3.22 per liter, the highest since 2019.
Spain, ranking third among suppliers, recorded a 7.7% drop in volume to 35.5 million liters, while its value slightly increased by 0.9% to €94.8 million. The average price of Spanish wine surged by 9.3%, hitting a record €2.71 per liter.
Long-term Trends and Strategic Importance
Historically, Belgium’s wine imports have shown growth in value (+2.2% CAGR) outpacing growth in volume (+0.7% CAGR), indicating a rising average price of imported wines. However, 2023 deviated from this trend with reductions across all categories.
Despite the overall decline, Belgium remains a strategic hub for wine distribution in Europe, particularly to the UK. The Brexit-driven increase in re-exports underscores the nation’s pivotal role in the continent’s wine trade.
As we look forward, the resilience and strategic importance of the Belgian wine market in the European distribution network will likely continue to influence import trends. The future trajectory of these trends will depend on various factors, including global economic conditions, consumer preferences, and geopolitical changes.
