SANTIAGO, Chile, May 6 (UPI) -- Chile's wine industry is facing mounting challenges as global consumption declines and consumers increasingly favor lower-alcohol beverages.
Worldwide wine consumption has steadily decreased in recent years. The International Organization of Vine and Wine reported that global consumption fell from 229 million hectoliters in 2020 to 214 million hectoliters in 2024. Preliminary indications for 2025 suggest the downward trend continued.
Chile is the world's fourth-largest wine exporter, and these exports also have weakened. According to industry association Wine of Chile, the country exported 46.7 million cases of bottled wine in 2024, valued at $1.299 billion. In 2025, shipments fell 2.9% to 46.1 million cases, worth $1.262 billion.
"Many thought 2025 would bring relief. It did not. The crisis worsened, and proof of that is that several companies recorded declining sales," Eduardo Guilisasti, chief executive officer of Viña Concha y Toro, Latin America's largest wine producer and exporter and one of the world's 10 largest wine companies.
"Compared with 2024, 2025 was much worse," Guilisasti added during the company's shareholders meeting.
