Wine market in Romania - statistics & facts
The history of wine in Romania goes all the way back to the Daco-Roman period. French influence also contributed to the development of the Romanian wine market by bringing new types such as Merlot, Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. Unfortunately, Romanian wine production was reduced during the Communist regime because of the decision to eliminate foreign grape varieties. Currently, wine tourism in Romania and the variety of wine-related events in the country, such as the International Wine Festival and the Bucharest Cheese and Wine Show underline the fact that the Romanian wine market is constantly growing.
The vineyards in Romania are spread either in the form of a continuous chain or scattered in vineyard regions - there are seven wine regions: Crisana and Maramures, Muntenia and Oltenia, Transylvania, Banat, Moldova, Dobrogea and the Danube terraces. These regions consist of approximately 40 vineyards, and over 160 wine centers famous for their products. As of foreign wine, most Romanians preferred to consume products from Republic of Moldova, Italy and France, meanwhile, on average a grown-up consumed 27.8 liters of wine per year in 2022, which is approximately 3.3 liters of pure alcohol.
The wine industry is expected to continue growing in the next five years, in the new national plan PAC 2023-2027 being mentioned that over 41.5 million euros are to be invested in the reconstruction and conversion of Romanian vineyard surface.
Romania in the top 10 global wine producers
According to the International Organization of Wine and Vine, Romania's wine production registered approximately 4.6 million hectoliters of wine in 2023, ranking eight in the OIV top. Most of the country’s wine production, specifically red and white, come from the Moldova Hills, while rose wine production is mostly concentrated in the South and South-West of Romania, namely Muntania and Oltenia.The vineyards in Romania are spread either in the form of a continuous chain or scattered in vineyard regions - there are seven wine regions: Crisana and Maramures, Muntenia and Oltenia, Transylvania, Banat, Moldova, Dobrogea and the Danube terraces. These regions consist of approximately 40 vineyards, and over 160 wine centers famous for their products. As of foreign wine, most Romanians preferred to consume products from Republic of Moldova, Italy and France, meanwhile, on average a grown-up consumed 27.8 liters of wine per year in 2022, which is approximately 3.3 liters of pure alcohol.
The wine market revenue at a record high
In 2024, Romania’s wine market revenue amounted to 757 million U.S. dollars, out 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. First of all, 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 the average revenue per capita of fortified wine maintained rather 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 both revenue and net profit. The history of the Recaș winery dates all the way back to the 15th century and 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 3 percent in 2014 to 13 percent in 2023.The wine industry is expected to continue growing in the next five years, in the new national plan PAC 2023-2027 being mentioned that over 41.5 million euros are to be invested in the reconstruction and conversion of Romanian vineyard surface.
