Spain No. 1 in Bulk Wine Sales by Volume

BRUSSELS — Spain is the world leader in bulk wine sales by volume, but it ranks No. 2 in value, trailing Italy, figures for 2009 released Monday by the director general of the Spanish Wine Market Observatory show.

So far this year, Spain has sold 130 million liters of unbottled wine worth 297 million euros ($445 million), Spanish Wine Market Observatory chief Rafael Del Rey said at the World Bulk Wine Exhibition in Amsterdam.

The global financial crisis has forced some countries, such as Spain, to reduce their bulk wine sales.

Other markets, such as the United States, Britain and Portugal, have increased purchases of bulk wine because importers have acquired cheaper varieties.

Italy, according to 2009 figures, generates the largest revenues from bulk wine sales, with 311 million euros ($466 million), followed by Spain and then France, with 272 million euros ($408 million).

For Spain, bulk wine sales account for 55 percent of wine exports and some 20 percent of total value, figures for 2008 show.

Last year, Spain exported nearly 900 million liters of bulk wine worth 350 million euros ($524.7 million).

The World Bulk Wine Exhibition brings together buyers and sellers of the commodity, with Castile-La Mancha this year's invited region and 56 of the 70 exhibitors coming from Spain.