The South African wine industry fared well compared to many others in 2024. According to the trade association Wines of South Africa (WoSA), wine exports grew by 4.3% in value in 2024, reaching USD 562 million. Export volumes were almost unchanged at 306 million litres (-0.1%).
The bottled wine market proved particularly resilient. In this segment, total value increased by 4% and volume by 5%.
In contrast, bulk wine sales decreased by 3% in volume but increased by 6% in value.
These are encouraging figures that show that the country’s wine industry is on the right track and that South African wines are on the way to receiving the recognition they deserve, moving away from bulk and towards quality wine in bottle. WoSA has long struggled to raise the prices of the country’s wines as many grape growers and producers in South Africa suffer from poor (or no) profitability.
Biggest markets
United Kingdom remains the strongest export market, with an export value of USD 145 million. However, the value decreased by 5%.
Germany maintained its second place.
The Netherlands is in third place, ahead of the USA, with a 20% increase in imports. The USA decreased its imports by 5%.
The UK also leads the export league in volume, while the Netherlands (+18%) and Sweden (+18%) have the largest increases.
(In 2023, Sweden was the 7th biggest export market.)
Read more: wine-South-Africa
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