U.S. wine exports reach all-time high in 2013

(PD) - U.S. wineries exported a record $1.55 billion of wine last year, increasing both the volume of shipments and the price of American wines sold overseas, a trade group said Wednesday.

Wineries shipped 48.4 million cases of wine to foreign markets, up 7.5 percent from 2012 and the highest since 2008, according to figures released by the Wine Institute. Winery revenues increased 16.4 percent, reflecting growth in sales of higher-priced wines.

“Consumers across the globe continue to recognize the quality, diversity and value of California wines, despite significant trade barriers and heavily subsidized foreign competitors,” Wine Institute President and CEO Robert P. Koch said in a statement.

Ninety percent of U.S. wine exports come from California, which now ships a fifth of its wine overseas.

The European Union's 28-member countries are the largest export market for U.S. wineries, accounting for $617 million last year, up 31 percent from 2012.

Other key export markets include Canada, $454 million, up 12 percent; Japan, $102 million, down 7 percent; Hong Kong, $78 million, down 12 percent; China, $77 million, up 6 percent; Mexico, $22 million, up 21 percent; and South Korea, $18 million, up 16 percent.

The Wine Institute has launched a marketing program in 25 countries that promotes California wines by emphasizing the state's lifestyle, landscapes, environmental leadership, wine and food, said Linsey Gallagher, vice president for international marketing at the San Francisco trade group.