This increase in exports also translated into an increase in the average price at which Uruguayan wineries placed the product in international markets.
Exports of packaged Uruguayan wines increased significantly during 2024, with a growth of almost 16% measured in liters, Martina Litta, Foreign Trade Manager at the National Institute of Vitiviniculture (Inavi), highlighted to El Observador , who also highlighted increases in foreign currency income and in the average value of the product.
MORE VOLUME, BETTER VALUE, HIGHER INCOME
He reported that “2024 was a very good year for Uruguay's bottled wine exports”, with 15.71% more (4,641,450.50 liters) exported compared to 4,011,442 liters in 2023.
This growth in exports, he added, “also translated into an increase in the average price at which Uruguayan wineries placed the product in international markets.”
He explained that 2024 closed with an average price of US$ 4.12 (2.43% above 2023).
Therefore, he added, the billing in US dollars in 2024 for bottled wine exports grew by 19% compared to 2023, advancing from US$ 16,061,418 in 2023 to US$ 19,118,560 in the last annual fiscal year concluded.
URUGUAY, AGAINST THE WORLD
Martina Litta explained that “although wine consumption worldwide has been declining and large wine producing and exporting countries have had problems in the last year placing their product on the international market, this trend was not fully reflected in the situation in Uruguay.”
This, he said, "has to do with the work that wineries and the sector have been doing in recent years to position Uruguay on the international stage: educating and positioning Uruguay as a producing country, the quality of its wines, its wineries, the wide range of grapes and wine styles."
“For years Uruguay has been working on promoting and positioning its wines in the international arena, as well as educating the trade and consumers. Today we can see the reflection of that work, national wines are recognized and accepted for their quality. This is reflected in the price that buyers and consumers are willing to pay,” he said.
IN THE GOOD LEVELS OF THE PANDEMIC
The export of litres of wine in 2024 was largely equal to that of 2022 (4,799,343 litres), when the Covid-19 pandemic was developing in the world and there was one of the highest records in the country's exportable history, with 2021 being the highest peak (5,386,758 litres).
For comparison, in 2015 Uruguay exported less than half, about two million liters of bottled wine.
During 2024, Martina Litta reported, 48 companies exported from Uruguay to 57 countries around the world.
Brazil remained the main export market, capturing 54% of the total, with the United States in second place receiving 14% of the exported wine, followed by the United Kingdom with 4.2% and Mexico with 3.8%.
INAVI AND BODEGAS IN THE MARKETS
Regarding 2025, Martina Litta said that “it will be a good year for exports, although demanding in terms of promotion and presence in international markets. Although it is projected to continue selling at these levels, this requires the presence of wineries in the different markets, promoting and educating about Uruguayan wine.”
In this regard, from February 10 to 12, Uruguay will be participating for the first time, under its export promotion brand Uruguay Wine, in the international Wine Paris fair, to be held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles convention center.
We will participate alongside 16 wineries within the 150 m2 Uruguay Wine stand.
In March, from the 16th to the 18th, Uruguay Wine will participate, as usual, in the international ProWein fair in the city of Dusseldorf, Germany, and it is expected that the Uruguay Wine team will be made up of approximately 10 exporting wineries.
The agenda and calendar of commercial promotion for 2025 is extremely varied and extensive, with actions and participation in major events in the main export markets for national wine, he noted.
THEY COME TO LEARN ABOUT URUGUAYAN VITICULTURE
In addition, in this case, throughout February, while a new local grape harvest is taking place, different international personalities (journalists, influencers , sommeliers from renowned restaurants that make up the list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, buyers from high-end hotels and more) will be received in Uruguay, "with the aim of immersing them in the best of Uruguay and for them to get to know our wineries, families and culture first-hand," he highlighted.
