Spanish wine exports fall in May

Spanish wine exports fell by around 11% in value and volume terms in May, according to figures released by the Spanish Tax Agency.

The UK bought slightly less Spanish wine in May but the decline was not as pronounced as it was in France, Germany and Russia, where bulk wine sales have fallen.

Wines from Spain said the performance, while negative, was an improvement on previous months.

It said: "In a nutshell, although Spanish wine export figures were still in the redat the beginning of 2009, the figures from May, an improvement on previous months, indicate a trend towards a slight recovery which will only be confirmed in the coming months."

In the first five months of the year, accumulated losses came to 18% by value and 22% by volume, representing €649.5 million and 569.6 million litres. All product categories fell except fortified wines, which were up 2% by value and 7% by volume.