Chile's Wine Consumption Plummets 17.5%, Steepest Drop Among Major Markets
17 October 2026 21:07 · 1 min read
Chile's wine consumption fell 17.5% in 2025, the sharpest decline among major markets, with global consumption declining only 2.7%. The country's wine sector faces mounting pressure as producers contend with 1.1 billion liters in storage, lower grape prices, and weakening export demand.
<cite index="1-4">Data from the International Organization of Vine and Wine show that wine consumption in Chile dropped 17.5% in 2025 from a year earlier.</cite> <cite index="1-5,1-6">Worldwide consumption fell 2.7% over the same period, with Chile's decline the steepest among major wine markets.</cite>
<cite index="1-2">The slump has left Chile's wine industry with 1.1209 billion liters in storage, lower grape prices and mounting pressure on smaller growers.</cite> <cite index="1-8">Over the past decade, Chilean wine consumption fell from 2.58 million hectoliters to 1.56 million hectoliters, a 39.5% decline.</cite>
Export pressure and global ripple effects
<cite index="1-10">Chile is the world's fourth-largest wine exporter, and the local market absorbs only a limited share of national production.</cite> <cite index="1-11">When domestic demand weakens at the same time export markets soften, more wine remains in storage, grape prices come under pressure and margins narrow across the industry.</cite>
The squeeze reaches importers directly. Weakened export demand and lower prices compress purchasing costs and sales margins for European distributors and retailers.
Behind the collapse
<cite index="4-1">Chile's wine industry is facing mounting challenges as global consumption declines and consumers increasingly favor lower-alcohol beverages.</cite> <cite index="7-3,7-4">Industry experts point to lack of generational replacement among wine consumers, with younger drinkers generally avoiding wine entirely.</cite>
Industry response
<cite index="1-12,1-13">The Chilean government has stopped short of calling the situation a full crisis, with the agriculture minister describing it as "an important adjustment process" and preferring to wait for the next harvest before using harsher language.</cite> Meanwhile, producers are turning to experiential tourism, sustainability certification, and social media campaigns to attract younger consumers.