Wine Distributor and Importer Guide: USA (Updated 2024) - Database of wine distributors and importers

General information about USA

USA (The United States of America, US) is a country located in North America with a population of 336 million people as of 2023. The United States has the largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the second largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity. The GDP per capita is one of the highest in the world at $83,060 (2024). The US also has the highest average household and employee income among OECD countries. The capital of the country is Washington, D.C., and the largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and others.

Wine market USA

The US market has attracted the interest of wineries from all over the world, and not without cause. The US is the largest wine market in the world with the highest number of wine consumers, with about 79 million wine consumers according to Dr. Liz Thach ¹. The USA is also the world’s second largest wine import by value, with a per capita wine consumption of approximately 10 liters per head – though they’d probably call it two and a half gallons.

2,961.9 million liters of wine were consumed in the USA in 2022², the highest figure worldwide, followed by France, Italy, Germany and the UK. Despite this, it is worth noting that since 2020 this figure has shown a downward trend. Total sales in 2021 decreased by 1.34%, in 2022 by 3.22%, and in 2023 by 3%.

Total wine sales in the country in 2022 reached $77.8 Billion, slightly less than a year earlier, when US wine sales reached $78.40 (this includes imports and domestic wine)³. Consumer expenditure across all channels of wine sales varies in the range of $67 and $88 billion depending on sources.

It is also noteworthy that the total share of wine in sales among all alcoholic beverages in the United States was about 17% in 2021.

Wine Import to the USA

Wine was sourced from a staggering 74 different countries.In 2020, the US imported 704 million liters of still wine, down from 727 million in 2019. In 2021 United States imported wines worth $7.05B.⁴

Here’s a breakdown of the US market of imported wine for 2021. First, it’s worth pointing out that there are two major importing countries: France and Italy. These markets account for 2.48 billion dollars and 2.07 billion dollars respectively, which is more than half of total US wine imports. There’s something of a gap between these two giants and the next in the list, with New Zealand importing win worth 725 million dollars, Spain on 392 million, Australia at 314 million.

One interesting fact in the recent history of the US wine market is that wine imports from the EU have begun to decline. This comes after the Trump administration imposed heavy tariffs on Brussels in 2019. With the change in presidency and a truce in the trade war, this particular market is expected to recover.

The price per litre of imported wine in 2021 was $5.07 per litre, which was 14% more than a year earlier. While in 2023, the average price per litre of imported wine increased again and reached $5.40 per litre (according to infowine.com and vinetur.com). We also note that the United States ranks second in terms of bulk wine imports, the average price per litre being $0.89.⁵

Wine Distribution in the United States

About 80% of all wine in the USA is bought in off-premise establishments. The remainder is sold by wineries, on premise, or exported and sold by wineries directly to customers.⁶

According to various sources, there are about 1000 wine distributors in the USA, the largest of which are Southern Glazer’s Wines & Spirits, RNDC/Young’s Market Co, Breakthru Beverage Group, Winebox Group, and Empire Distributors.

Overall, the US wine market is dominated by domestic produce. Only 30-35% of wine comes from imported wines; 65-70% from US wines.

Wine production and export from USA

The USA is the 7^th most important country in the world in terms of wine exports; in 2021 it exported wine worth 1.5 billion dollars. The top 5 countries where US wine exports are Canada ($491M), UK ($212M), Japan ($98M), Hong Kong ($93.2M) and South Korea ($79.5M).⁷

The country has more than 11,000 wineries located across all the country’s fifty states, although most of them fall into the category of small to limited production.

Wine consumer preferences

For the first time, Cabernet Sauvignon moved into top place above Chardonnay in both volume and value, totalling $3.2 billion in sales against Chardonnay’s $2.8 billion. Other varietals remained in similar positions, with the exception of Sauvignon Blanc, which increased by an incredible 22% in volume and 24% in value. Yet it was Rosé that stole the show, with an increase of 20% in volume and 24% in dollar value. In terms of wine colour, red wine comprised 46% of volume sales in 2020, white wine was at 44%, and rosé wine at 10%, the same as in 2019.⁸

Cabernet Sauvignon was the most sold wine variety in the USA in 2020. Chardonnay was second in terms of net sales. Among red varieties, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Malbec are also leaders. For white wines, Chardonnay is followed by Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat.

The biggest wine importers into the USA

Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits
RNDC (Republic National Distributing Co./Young’s)
Johnson Brothers Liquor Company
Breakthru Beverage Group
Empire Distributors
Winebow
Monsieur Touton Selection, Ltd.
Opici Family Distributing
Georgia Crown
Martignetti Co

To find out more about importers and distributors from the USA, use our Vinaty wine importers database, containing more than 2800 wine retailers, wholesalers, importers and distributors in the United States. You’ll find all the necessary contact information including mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers and social media.

Sources