MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean bottled wine sales soar 60% in November; UK and US main markets

A bottle of Chilean wine is on average 8 USD cheaper in U.K. compared to the US.

Confidence is high among Chilean winemakers with information released this week showing a 60% increase in exports for November 2009, compared to the same month in 2008.

“November saw a big increase in our export volumes, which is great news,” said Rene Araneda, Vice-president of the association of Chilean wines.

Recent figures released by trade association Vinos de Chile also show a dramatic rise in bottled wine exports, with a 25 percent increase in both the volume and value of sales reported for November 2009.

But while annual export volumes dramatically increased in 2009, the actual value of sales dropped 0.4%. Industry experts blame this fall on the weakened U.S dollar, with the average price for a case of Chilean wine down by 8.4% in 2009 to US$26.70.

“It is important for us that the average price for a bottle shows signs of recuperation” Araneda said. “Our figures are influenced by the uncompetitive exchange rate. And as an export industry, we hope authorities can find ways to reverse this.”

According to 2009 figures, the United Kingdom is the biggest consumer of Chilean wine, while the United States remains the most lucrative market. Exports to the US totalled 188 million USD up to November this year, while the U.K. purchased 183 million USD of Chilean wine in the same period. A bottle of Chilean wine is on average 8 USD cheaper in the U.K. compared to the US.

Meanwhile, sales are continuing to grow in Brazil and Japan, two countries recently identified as emerging markets for Chilean wine. The Brazilian market accounted for 5.5% of all Chilean exports, while Japan consumed 4.5% in the first 11 months of 2009.

Sales in 2009 in both countries rose by nearly 10 million USD in comparison the same period in 2008.

Vinos de Chile is a trade association of 90 Chilean wineries that promotes the local industry to international markets. A complete breakdown of November exports can be found on the company’s website.

http:// www.vinasdechile.com.

By James Fowler - SANTIAGO TIMES