South Korea’s Top 10 Wine Exporting Countries in August 2021
South Korea continued raising its wine importation in August, topping the record seen in the same month last year.
Data from Korea Customs Service showed that the country received US$45.4 million worth of imported wine in August, a 63% jump in value posted in the same month in 2020.
The increased importation was lifted by the entry of more French wine in the month at US$15.2 million, up 72% year-on-year.
There was twice more wine from Italy worth US$9.3 million that entered the South Korean ports. Imported wine from the US, which ranked third among imports, also soared by 41% to US$6.6 million.
There was a slight year-on-year increase in Chilean wine that came through South Korea in August, valued at US$4.7 million while there was a 55% growth in the importation of Spanish wine to US$3.8 million.
Imported wine from the Pacific also expanded: Australian wine jumped by 39% to US$2 million while New Zealand wine climbed by 85% to US$1 million.
South Korea tripled its importation of wine from Argentina, from over a quarter of US dollars last year to nearly US$900,000 this year.
The country also doubled its importation of wine from Portugal and Germany, rising to US$757,000 and US$330,000, respectively.
By category, there was a 72% increase in imported wine in containers of 2 liters or less to a value of US$38.5 million.
South Korea saw fewer importations of wine in containers over 2 liters worth only US$254,000 while uncategorized bottled wine also declined to US$331,000.
Year-to-date, South Korea imported US$370 million worth of wine, rising by 97% over the same January-August period previously.
In other news, South Korea came in second to the US for being the most attractive wine market in 2021, based on a recent global study by Wine Intelligence.
South Korea’s Top Wine Exporters in August 2021 vs 2020
| Rank | Country | Value in 2021 | Value in 2020 | % Change |
| 1 | France | US$15,199,000 | US$8,819,000 | +72% |
| 2 | Italy | US$9,310,000 | US$3,870,000 | +141% |
| 3 | US | US$6,607,000 | US$4,694,000 | +41% |
| 4 | Chile | US$4,753,000 | US$4,686,000 | +1% |
| 5 | Spain | US$3,755,000 | US$2,425,000 | +55% |
| 6 | Australia | US$2,004,000 | US$1,444,000 | +39% |
| 7 | New Zealand | US$1,053,000 | US$569,000 | +85% |
| 8 | Argentina | US$876,000 | US$287,000 | +205% |
| 9 | Portugal | US$757,000 | US$324,000 | +134% |
| 10 | Germany | US$330,000 | US$154,000 | +114% |
| Total | US$45,428,000 | US$27,948,000 | +63% |
Bottled Wine Categories in August 2021 vs 2020
| Wine Category | Value in 2021 | Value in 2020 | % Change |
| 2 liters or less | US$38,537,000 | US$22,456,000 | +72% |
| Over 2 liters | US$254,000 | US$452,000 | -44% |
| Others | US$331,000 | US$393,000 | -16% |
South Korea’s Top Wine Exporters YTD 2021 vs 2020
| Rank | Country | Value in 2021 | Value in 2020 | % Change |
| 1 | France | US$116,619,000 | US$52,574,000 | +122% |
| 2 | US | US$61,039,000 | US$32,890,000 | +86% |
| 3 | Italy | US$59,960,000 | US$27,005,000/td> | +122% |
| 4 | Chile | US$50,777,000 | US$34,286,000 | +48% |
| 5 | Spain | US$28,549,000 | US$15,541,000 | +84% |
| 6 | Australia | US$21,732,000 | US$11,098,000 | +96% |
| 7 | New Zealand | US$10,066,000 | US$3,664,000 | +175% |
| 8 | Argentina | US$7,085,000 | US$3,585,000 | +98% |
| 9 | Portugal | US$4,745,000 | US$2,089,000 | +127% |
| 10 | Germany | US$3,273,000 | US$1,566,000 | +109% |
| Total | US$370,447,000 | US$188,516,000 | +97% |
Bottled Wine Categories YTD 2021 vs 2020
| Wine Category | Value in 2021 | Value in 2020 | % Change |
| 2 liters or less | US$312,873,000 | US$157,001,00 | +99% |
| Over 2 liters | US$2,847,000 | US$2,074,000 | +37% |
| Others | US$5,246,000 | US$2,992,000 | +75% |
