Germany is showing signs of recovery as a market for Italian wine, with exports of Italian PDO wines rising in both volume and value even as the broader global wine trade remains sluggish.
New data from Nomisma Wine Monitor show that shipments of Italian protected designation of origin wines to Germany increased 5.4% by volume and 4.2% by value in 2025, a result that points to firmer demand in one of Europe’s largest wine markets. Germany remains the world’s fourth-largest wine-consuming country and a key destination for Italian producers trying to protect sales in a period of uneven consumption and price pressure.
The overall German wine market contracted slightly in volume last year, but that decline was offset by a 4.7% increase in total value after several years of weakness. The pattern suggests that consumers are buying less wine overall but spending more on selected categories, especially still and semi-sparkling wines and larger formats such as bag-in-box, which posted gains in both volume and value.
Bulk wine moved in the opposite direction, with declines in both measures. Even so, it remains an important part of the market because it is widely used as a base for sparkling wine production and still ranks second by value among import categories.
Italy continues to dominate Germany’s imported wine market. It holds more than 40% of market share and generates more than €1 billion in annual sales there, according to the data cited by Nomisma. That position makes Germany one of the most important outlets for Italian wineries at a time when many export markets are unstable.
The strongest results came from specific Italian PDO categories. Veneto white wines, Piedmont reds and other PDO sparkling wines excluding Prosecco and Asti all recorded gains in both exported volume and value. Prosecco remains the single most exported Italian wine to Germany, although its export value slipped slightly in 2025.
For Italian producers, the numbers suggest that Germany is not just holding steady but beginning to recover in segments that matter most for premium exports. The shift could influence how wineries plan their product mix, pricing and distribution strategies in a market where demand is still uneven but remains large enough to shape export performance across Europe.
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