Chile becomes third largest country of origin for US wine imports

Chile has become the third largest source of imported wine into the US, moving up from seventh place in 2020, to bring it behind only France and Italy according to US customs data.  

This makes Chile the top source of southern hemisphere wine sold in the US, with 4,881 m nine litre cases of Chilean bottled wines being shipped to the US last year, a 8% volume increase on the previous year, with a 7% increase in value according to Intelvid Chile customs data.    

And for bottled wines priced over $40 FOB per case exported to the US, those figures  show a growth of 25% in volume, 31% in overall value and 5% in average price per case, coming in the wake of a five year downturn.  

Julio Alonso, executive director at Wines of Chile USA, believes that this growth will continue into 2022, pointing to the variety and  quality offered by Chilean winemakers at all price points.  

Last year, the US market saw wines priced under $15 lose out while wines in the super-premium and luxury categories gain in market share, with Chilean wines outperforming the market in the latter case. Chilean wines posted a 56% increase  in the $50-$100 category and 62% in the $100-plus sector. (Nielsen IQ, 52 weeks through Nov. 6, 2021).

And it is a category that an increasing number of Chilean brands such as Maquis, VIK and Domus, are joining.   These wines, according to Alonso are: “not only competitively priced, affordable luxuries, but engines helping generate traction for Brand Chile as a whole,” adding “though our strong performance is due in part to unusual supply and weather conditions in 2021, one of the most significant long-term trends has been the entry of Chilean wines at the luxury level.”  

Chile is traditionally best known for its red wines, but whites now account for over a fifth (21%) of Chilean wines imported into the US.   Chile’s second most widely planted grape, Sauvignon Blanc, is the third most popular white variety in the US market. Though still a relatively small player, accounting for a mere 3% market share in the Sauvignon Blanc category, supply issues for California and New Zealand wineries, the dominant producers and sellers, turned into an opportunity for Chilean companies in 2021 and into 2022 with the focus, again, on higher priced offerings.  

Photography: Thomas Griggs/Unsplash