Austrian wine export surges

Austrian wine export for 2009 went much better than expected in 2009. Export sales was up by 5.3% in volume and 16% in value compared to 2008. Total exports reached 70 million litres, worth 119 M euro. The biggest export markets were Germany (+15% in volume, +9% in value), and Switzerland/Lichtenstein (+27% / +6%). Other important export market successes were the Netherlands (+30% / +27%), Sweden (+51% / +38% !), and Japan (+33 % / +10 %). The numbers are all the more impressive as total exports from Austria declined with 20%. www.winesfromaustria.com (Illustration: AWMB)