UAE: Greek wine and ouzo exports on the rise

A significant upward trend in Greek exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in alcoholic beverages and beer, was recorded last year by the Dubai Economic and Commercial Affairs Office. In the relevant market survey for the spirits industry compiled by the Bureau in December 2023, it is reported that Greece was ranked 16th globally in the UAE wine market, 41st among the most important beer suppliers and 42nd for other alcoholic beverages. The upward trend in imports of beverages from Greece is mainly attributed to the opening of numerous Greek restaurants and other hotspots of Greek interests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, demonstrating the potential for greater penetration of Greek alcoholic beverages into the UAE market. The significant increase is due to the increase in Greek exports of wine and ouzo (for 2022, the main Greek exports of alcoholic beverages to the UAE were wine at 78%, ouzo at 15% and beer at just 3%). Based on ten-month 2023 data from the United Nations’ foreign ...