According to the annual report of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), analysed by Wines of Romania, global wine production recorded a 3% increase in 2025, marking only a modest recovery after the extremely weak harvest of 2024. The total estimated volume for 2025 stands at 232 million hectolitres, 5% below the average of the past five years. Romania is among the few countries posting significant growth, after an extremely dry 2024 marked by severe weather events.

Initial figures for the European Union indicate a 2% rise in production to 14 million hectolitres, although this level remains 8% below the five-year average. France faces another difficult year, with production 1% lower than last year, when it recorded its weakest output since 1957. Italy, on the other hand, posted an 8% increase, reaching 47.4 million hectolitres, 2% above the five-year average. Despite the tentative signs of recovery in 2024, Spain’s production remains low at 29.4 million hectolitres, 6% less than last year, marking the third consecutive year far below the 35–40 million hectolitres recorded between 2020 and 2022.

For Romania, estimates for the 2025 wine production indicate a total of 4.1 million hectolitres, up 29% compared to 2024, when 3.1 million hectolitres were produced, and 3% above the five-year average. Although spring brought late frosts followed by hailstorms and a dry summer in some regions, Romania ultimately benefited from an excellent autumn, with temperature differences of more than 10°C between day and night, as well as rainfall before harvest, conditions that contributed to high-quality grapes in much of the country.

In Europe, similarly high percentage increases are found only in countries with very small production and large annual fluctuations: Slovenia (+64%, 0.8 million hl) and Cyprus (+31%, approx. 0.1 million hl). Austria (+17%) and Croatia (+21%) also exceed the five-year average, by 6% and 4% respectively.

Globally, OIV experts believe that production remaining below recent-year levels should not be viewed with concern but rather as an opportunity to rebalance stocks: “The limited increase in production in 2025 is expected to contribute to stabilising stocks, in a context of declining consumption in mature markets and heightened uncertainty in global trade conditions.”

A window of opportunity for Romanian producers on international markets

“As climate change increasingly affects traditional wine-producing countries and vineyard uprooting continues, particularly in France, a clearer window of opportunity is emerging for Romania. Looking at Romania’s wine exports between 2014 and 2024, we see that although their value has almost doubled, from USD 22 million to USD 42 million, volumes remain broadly stable at between 16 and 20 million litres. Part of this is inflation, but another part is the fact that Romania has begun – slowly but steadily – to export high-quality wines. These attract more and more connoisseurs and enthusiasts thanks to an excellent price-quality ratio.

Beyond everyday, affordable wine, Romania must demonstrate what it can offer in the EUR 10–25 category, with quality confirmed both by prestigious wine critics and by strong results at international competitions. Clearly, this can only happen with consensus and collective effort across the industry – a message I am pleased to see repeated by more and more Romanian producers,” said Marinela Ardelean, founder of Wines of Romania.

In a context where global production remains below recent averages, the development of Romanian wine in 2025 signals not only a recovery after a difficult agricultural year but also real potential for strengthening its position on external markets. The rising quality of Romanian wines, growing interest in native grape varieties and strong results from local producers on the international stage provide a solid foundation for a stronger global positioning of Romania in the coming years.