Bourgogne UK wine exports up 11.6%

By Lisa Riley

Published: 18 November, 2020

Exports of Bourgogne wine to the UK rose 11.9% in volume in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, with value up 1.3%, according to the latest Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) data.

Moreover, the UK temporarily became the leading market for Bourgogne wine exports in May and June, ahead of the US, said the BIVB.

“The UK market went into a downward slide following the financial crisis of 2008, and some thought it would be lost with Brexit, but the country has resumed imports of Bourgogne wines.”

The good performance in the first nine months of 2020 was driven by the full range of Bourgogne wines, with whites up 11.4% by volume, reds up by 5.7% and Crémant de Bourgogne up 54%.

In relation to Brexit, exports to the UK had not been impacted by any "new taxes or administrative measures", which BIVB said may explain the “strong growth”.

However, it added, the measures taken in October and the latest lockdown imposed by the Johnson government in an effort to halt the spread of the virus could "spell an end to this resurgence”.

In terms of overall exports, BIVB said the pandemic put paid to a long period in growth of Bourgogne wine exports.

Over the first nine months of 2020, the drop remained “limited but real”, down 3.9% by volume and 9.3% in terms of revenue compared to the first nine months of 2019.

“The year 2020 will long stick in the memory. The periods of lockdown due to Covid-19, which began in China in February, were unprecedented in modern history and played out across the globe, slowing or even stopping much international trade,” said the BIVB.

In parallel, it added access to some major markets was also turbulent pinpointing the UK continuing to impede imports of French wine through a 25% levy imposed as part of the Airbus/Boeing dispute, and the UK currently redefining rules for imports and for trade with overseas markets (re-exports).

Nonetheless, BIVB said that Bourgogne wine professionals remained “confident and have faith in their markets”.

At the beginning of this year, BIVB signed up as a WSET patron.