Belgium

In 2025, Belgian wine import volume increased by 1.4%. At the same time, import value fell by 8.8%. The same pattern appears across several import categories.

Bottled wine accounted for 60% of import volume and 62% of import value. Its volume increased by 7.1%, while value fell by 8.3%.

Sparkling wine accounted for 20% of volume and 30% of value. Volume increased by 1.4%, while value fell by 8.9%.

The OIV has analysed Belgium separately as a re-export hub. For the average of the years 2018 to 2023, it recorded wine imports of around 319.7 million litres.

Around 71.2% were intended for Belgian domestic consumption. 28.8% were re-exported.

Among the main destinations for these re-exports were the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.

For producers, this changes the role of a Belgian import partner. It may serve the Belgian market, act as a regional distributor or combine both functions.

France remained Belgium's most important wine supplier by volume and value in 2025. Although French shipments fell by around 78,000 hl, or 8.0%, compared with 2024, France retained its leading position. The import value of French wines fell by 9.9%.

Detailed international trade data for 2024 also show how strongly Belgian wine imports are concentrated among a small number of origins.

Argentina is present in the Belgian import market, but still occupies a small position.

In 2024, Belgium imported according to UN Comtrade:

South Africa reached more than eleven times Argentina's import volume, while Chile reached almost five times as much.

This shows that non-European origins can achieve substantially larger positions in the Belgian market.

Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Flanders is Dutch-speaking, Wallonia is predominantly French-speaking, and Brussels-Capital is officially bilingual — French and Dutch. The German-speaking Community is located in the east of the country.

For market development, communication, media relations, trade materials and activations should therefore be planned regionally.

Belgium remains heavily dependent on imports, while also developing its own wine production.

According to VLAM, 290 recognised winegrowers cultivated around 891 hectares of vineyards in 2023. Production had exceeded three million litres annually in the preceding years. Sparkling wine accounted for 53% of production in 2023 and white wine for 36%.

In 2024, extreme weather caused Belgian wine production to fall by around 64%. At the same time, both the number of winegrowers and vineyard area continued to increase by around 11%.

Belgian wine production remains small compared with imports. Its development nevertheless adds another layer to the market's local origin landscape.

Around three million hectolitres of wine imports make Belgium appear unusually large as an import market relative to its population. Trade flows explain part of this: Belgium also performs a distribution function for other European markets.

For Argentine producers, three levels should therefore be considered separately:

Belgium combines a large import flow with a smaller domestic market, a substantial re-export function and several linguistic communication spaces.

Argentina's current market position is small: in 2024, around 0.53% of the import volume recorded in international trade statistics came from Argentine wine. At the same time, South Africa and Chile show that non-European origins can achieve substantially larger positions in the Belgian market.