Argentine wine exports slump to lowest point since 2004, raising alarms at leading wineries

Argentina’s wine industry closed the past year with weak results, as exports fell to their lowest volume since 2004 and their lowest value since 2009, triggering concern among the country’s leading wineries.

Data from the National Institute of Viticulture (INV) show wine exports declined 7% year on year between January and December, compared with the same period a year earlier.

During that time, Argentina exported 1.9 million hectoliters of red and white wines, down from 2.0 million hectoliters shipped in the previous year.

In the maritime segment, data from the DataLiner platform show that Argentina shipped just 1,253 TEUs of wine for export between January and November 2025. The chart below shows monthly changes in Argentina’s wine exports, based on Datamar data.

Argentina Wine Exports | Jan 2022 – Nov 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

According to Magdalena Pesce, chief executive of Wines of Argentina (WofA), the downturn is closely tied to domestic economic conditions. “What happens within the Argentine economy has a direct impact. Production costs are higher and, even with inflation more under control, the effects persist,” she said.

The situation is compounded by long-standing structural challenges facing the sector. “High logistics costs, difficulties competing on price in international markets, and factors linked to conditions in destination markets,” Pesce said, have weighed on performance.

Against this backdrop, she highlighted a slowdown in two strategic markets for Argentine wine: the United States and China. “In the United States, we have traditionally been an attractive category for certain consumers, who are now being affected by the economic environment. This is not an Argentina-specific issue, but one affecting the sector as a whole,” she added.

The United States remains a key market for the industry. Argentina exports between 25% and 28% of its total wine production, with roughly half of that volume destined for the U.S. market.

Despite the broadly negative picture, some companies posted stronger results. Trivento, the world’s largest exporter of Argentine wines, reported positive performance. Even after a 10% tariff increase, the winery achieved “solid growth, not only in shipments but also in actual sales by our customers in the United States, according to Circana Trends data,” said Marcos Jofré, Trivento’s CEO in Argentina.

Shifting consumption patterns

The global slowdown in Argentine wine sales was less severe than earlier in the year, when year-on-year declines exceeded 15% in months such as July and August.

Pesce said changes in consumer behavior are also weighing on the sector. “Generation Z does not consume alcohol the way previous generations did. It’s not that there is no interest in wine, but there is a search for lighter options. We are facing a combination of very challenging factors,” she said.

Echoing that view, Milton Kuret, executive director of industry group Bodegas de Argentina, noted a broader global trend. “There is a decline in wine consumption worldwide, and naturally we are following that movement,” he said, pointing to shifting habits and declining international competitiveness as key challenges for Argentina’s wine industry.

In this environment, higher value-added labels have shown greater resilience. At Trivento, the strategy has focused on a more gourmet-oriented positioning. “We are diversifying our portfolio with varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and investing heavily in White Malbec, an innovative wine aimed at attracting new consumers and creating new consumption occasions beyond traditional Malbec,” Jofré said.

Source: Forbes Argentina

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