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US sales of Bordeaux wine hit new 30-year high

16 March 2022 By Arabella Mileham

Sales of wines from Bordeaux in the US market have hit a new high, according to the latest figures, with value sales increasing 67% during 2021.

US consumers bought $395 million (€349 million) of wines from the region last year, the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) said, with volumes also rising 24% to 247,000 HL. The gains represented the highest volume sales increase of Bordeaux wines to the US over a 12-month period since 1985, and helped the country become the region’s second largest export market, and the top destination for white Bordeaux.

The CIVB noted the suspension of the 25% tariffs on French wines as a contributing factor to the acceleration of Bordeaux wine sales, which it said bodes well for the future, as well as the strong 2018 and 2019 vintage.

Bernard Farges, president of the CIVB said he was thrilled with the US sales results.

“It is a credit to the people of Bordeaux and our many US partners to have overcome recent challenges and create opportunity for growth across such a wide range of Bordeaux wines,” he said.

He also noted the “sustained momentum” of the category in the US wine market, which saw upward sales trends across 65 of Bordeaux’s diverse appellations from everyday selections to classified growths from prestige AOCs such as Médoc (Pauillac, St. Estèphe, Saint Julien, Margaux), Graves and Saint-Émilion.

It also applied to all wine styles, the CIVB said – reds, dry whites, rosé, sweet, and sparkling wines. However although red wine remain the most popular choice, there has been an increase in sales of white Bordeaux, with the US now selling around 5.2m bottles a year, making it the number one market for dry white Bordeaux,

“To support positive trends, the Bordeaux wine region is committed to continuing investment in dynamic US marketing,” Farges said.

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