German winemakers in crisis due to rising costs and falling consumption, seek export markets

German winemakers face production cost increases of up to 30% since the start of the Ukraine war, but cannot raise prices due to competitive pressure.
Wine consumption in Germany is declining, especially among younger generations, while older consumers (over 55) account for 77% of consumption.
German wine’s domestic market share is only 42%, with imports from France, Spain, and Italy dominating.
Due to high labor costs, German wine is not competitive with cheaper imported wines.
Winemakers are turning to exports, especially to the US, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, but US tariffs under Trump are complicating business.
Some winemakers plan to export to India after an expected EU-India free trade agreement that would reduce tariffs from 150%.