Wine market in Romania - statistics & facts
The history of wine in Romania dates back to the Daco-Roman period, with French influence introducing varieties like Merlot and Chardonnay. However, wine production declined during the Communist regime due to the ban on foreign grape varieties. Today, wine tourism and events like the International Wine Festival highlight the growth of the Romanian wine market.
The wine industry is expected to continue growing in the next five years. The new national plan PAC 2023-2027 mentions that over 41.5 million euros will be invested in reconstructing and converting Romanian vineyard surfaces.
Romania is in the top 10 global wine producers
In 2023, Romania produced approximately 4.6 million hectoliters of wine, ranking eighth globally according to the International Organization of Wine and Vine. Most production, mainly red and white wines, occurs in the Moldova Hills, while rosé is concentrated in the South and Southwest regions, such as Muntania and Oltenia. Romania has seven wine regions—Crisana and Maramures, Muntenia and Oltenia, Transylvania, Banat, Moldova, Dobrogea, and the Danube terraces—housing around 40 vineyards and over 160 wine centers. Romanians mainly consume foreign wines from Moldova, Italy, and France, with an average annual consumption of 27.8 liters per adult in 2022, which is approximately 3.3 liters of pure alcohol.The wine market revenue is at a record-high
In 2024, Romania’s wine market revenue amounted to 757 million U.S. dollars, of which still wine accounted for approximately 76 percent of the total market value. This represented the highest market value ever recorded. Furthermore, the forecast for the next years expects a constant increase in market revenue, estimated to amount to 825 million U.S. dollars by 2029. The average revenue per capita of the Romanian wine market presented some particularities. The average revenue per capita of still wine dropped from 2012 to 2020 and then began to increase, reaching over 29 U.S. dollars in 2024. Meanwhile, fortified wine's average revenue per capita has maintained relatively constant values over the last few years. By contrast, the sparking wine segment was the only one where the average revenue per capita regularly increased since 2012.Wineries from Moldova are expanding successfully in Romania
In 2023, Cramele Recaș was one of the most important companies in the Romanian wine industry in terms of revenue and net profit. The Recaș winery's history dates back to the 15th century, and it currently oversees more than 1,000 hectares of vineyards. However, Purcari was still the leading Premium winery, totaling a retail market share of 13 percent. The company from Moldova recorded one of the highest market share growths, increasing from three percent in 2014 to 13 percent in 2023.The wine industry is expected to continue growing in the next five years. The new national plan PAC 2023-2027 mentions that over 41.5 million euros will be invested in reconstructing and converting Romanian vineyard surfaces.
