In a difficult economic environment, French wine exports have risen dramatically so far in 2011.
Image: group-trotter.net
From January to June 2011, there has been a 5% volume increase and a 15% value increase compared to the same period in 2010, Ubifrance, the French trade commission, reports.
France exported some 6.6m hectoliters of wine valued at €3.1bn, Ubifrance said.
The wine recovery is mainly driven by countries outside Europe, although the EU still remains stable, Ubifrance project manager Marie Cambon said.
China, which was double the value of Japan in the first half of 2011 in wine exports, is the engine for Asian markets, Cambon told Decanter.com.
‘We observed a very good value increase for our wine exports, particularly to Asia and to the United States.
The strongest performing exports came from Bordeaux, with a 26% sales increase and a 34% value increase compared to 2010. But other regions also saw increases, including Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone Valley.
Exports from Alsace, Languedoc and the Loire Valley decreased in both value and volume.
Three per cent less Beaujolais was sold but its value increased by over 6%.
‘Provence continues to benefit from a global trend for rose wines to be at the top of the export markets,’ said Cambon. Even though its volume ‘remains limited’ the increases are impressive: 16.6% increase in value and a 27.7% increase in volume over last year.
Written by Panos Kakaviatos
