Wine (wino in Polish) production in Poland has increased more than twenty-fivefold in the last decade. Several years ago, Polish wine production was concentrated in the southern part of the country; nowadays, it is produced across the country. Poland has approximately 500 vineyards and 197 commercial wine producers making wine from local grapes. According to FAO, in 2020, Poland was the 51st largest wine producer worldwide with a total production of 11.4 thousand tons equivalent to a global production share of 0.04%.

According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), in 2018, Poland was the 27th largest wine consumer, consuming around 120 million liters equivalent to a global consumption share pf 0.5%. Wine consumption grew by 20% since 2014, ten times greater than the global average. In terms of per capita consumption, in 2019, Polish people consumed an average of 0.74 liters of pure alcohol from wine, ranking as the 65th country.

In 2020, Poland ranked as the 31st largest wine exporter with a global share of 0.11%. Its wine exports grew at a much faster CAGR of 26% compared to the world average of 5% between 2001 and 2020.

2. Import Trends Most of Poland’s wine is imported from Europe, North and South America, and Oceania, but the country also imports a small amount from African and Asian countries. Poland is a small wine importer compared to large western European countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany. However, Poland is the largest wine importer in eastern Europe (ranking as the 20th largest wine importer worldwide), with wine imports amounting to 363 million USD in 2020. By 2020, Polish wine imports grew to 7.64 times the value of 2001. In general, Polish wine imports followed a consistent upward trend with a higher-than-average increase between 2006 and 2008, in 2013 and in 2018. Slight decreases were observed in 2009, 2015 and 2019.

The value of Polish imports from Lebanon oscillated from one year to the other with a maximum value of $85,000 recorded in 2014. In 2020, wine imports from Lebanon stood at $52,000, equivalent to a share of 0.01% of total Polish wine imports, with Lebanon ranking as the 36th largest wine exporter into Poland. That same year, those Polish imports constituted 0.2% of Lebanon’s wine exports. In terms of quantity, Lebanon ranked as the 42nd largest wine supplier to Poland with only 6 tons of wine exported to Poland.

3. Market Trends In 2020, around 70% of Poland’s wine was imported from the European Union, with the biggest share from Italy (26%), followed by Germany (11%), France (11%), Spain (9%), Portugal (8%), Bulgaria (3%) and Hungary (2%). Another 2% was imported from 14 other EU countries. The United States of America was the largest non-EU wine exporter to Poland with a share of 11%, followed by Chile (5%), Georgia (3%), Moldova (3%), Australia (3%), United Kingdom (1.5%) and New Zealand (1.5%). Other supplying countries accounted for 2.7% of total Polish wine imports.

The world average imported unit value in 2020 was $2.62/liter. The average unit value of imports from Italy, France, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina exceeded the world average. The unit value of imports from Spain, Moldova, Hungary and United Kingdom were lower than the world average. While the unit value of wine imports from Bulgaria and Macedonia was less than half the world average, those from Denmark and Austria were almost double.

Meanwhile, the unit price of Polish wine imports from Lebanon was the highest at $8.67/liter. The high unit price could be a result of the high quality of wine imported from Lebanon. It could also indicate the lack of price competitiveness compared to other countries which could be hindering higher quantities of wine from being imported into Poland. Thus, a thorough study of competitive markets in terms of quality and price combined with the proper strategies of market entry could realize the growth potential of Lebanese wine exports into Poland.

4. Changes in the Polish Market For a long time, Poland was one of the least developed wine markets in Europe. Compared to the rest of Europe, wine consumption in Poland is still small. However, as wine gains popularity in Poland, the country is being perceived as a ‘growth market’. Poland is currently the 5th most attractive wine market in the world according to Wine Intelligence’s Global Compass 2020 report, up nine places from 2019. This jump in ranking can be attributed to an increasing wine drinking population and a flux of disposable income.

Although the Poles are traditionally known for their love of beer and spirits, wine sales have strongly increased since the country joined the EU in 2004 and are expected to continue to do so in the future as the country continues to experience economic growth. This could be attributed to the growing access to the product and, correspondingly, the wine drinking habit, courtesy of Poland’s wine-loving EU neighbors. Wine consumers in Poland are typically younger and more eager to discover more about wine than in other places. While the older generation of drinkers are keen to stick with what they know, maintaining that tradition of hard spirits and vodka, the younger generation are keen to break the stereotype and adopt a Western European way of alcohol consumption.

Poles generally prefer red wines followed by sweeter whites, although consumer preferences are slowly trending away from sweet wines toward drier white varietals. Sparkling wines are growing in popularity, followed by still rosés, and champagne. Sweet and semi-dry wines are particularly popular amongst a large group of elderly women.

However, the growing group of young urban professionals deem to prefer semi-dry and dry wines and to favor red wine over white or rosé wine. These young urban professionals are currently driving the development of the emerging Polish wine market. They travel a lot to other wine-consuming countries, copy drinking patterns of those countries and associate wine with Western lifestyles. Growing health-consciousness particularly stimulates the switch to wine, as moderate wine consumption is considered to be healthy. Polish regular wine drinkers have shown an increased interest and knowledge of wine categories, with an active interest in learning about the origin and in experimenting with a wider range of products.

In the past few years, knowledge about wine-producing countries and regions of origin has grown, gaining a more important role in the purchasing decisions. According to Wine Intelligence, more are now able to recall the country of origin of the wines they have consumed, compared to 3 years ago, and more are experimenting with a wider range of white and red varietals.

Although wine consumption is less seasonal than it was in the past, some seasonal trends persist. For example, sparkling wines, including champagne, are particularly popular during Christmas, New Years, Carnival in February, and during first communion season in May. The Polish wine market is dominated by low-cost table wines, but higher quality wines have made inroads among many consumers. Increasingly serious marketing efforts, on-line wine sellers, and a proliferation of wine shops, particularly in leading shopping centers, have all contributed toward popularizing higher-end wines

Despite the dominance of large retail chains and discounters over the Polish wine market, small importers and specialist retailers are on the rise. This provides opportunities for developing country exporters in both the high and low-volume segments as consumers are less prejudiced towards wine from different origins.

By some estimates, there are as many as 700 Polish wine importers. Beyond the leading top 50 companies, these importers tend to be small with informal operations. Only little reliable data exists for this market segment. However, Poland has several associations of wine importers and suppliers. The associations are a valuable source of information about the Polish market. Additionally, their websites include a list of their members which can be potential buyers. Members of these associations can range from small wine producers to multinational wine traders.

Stowarzyszenie Importerów i Dystrybutorów Wina or the Polish Wine Trade Association, founded in 2014 by wine industry leaders, has more than 40 members that supply a substantial share of the specialist retail and on-trade wine sales. Polska Rada Winiarstwa or the Polish Wine Council has producers, importers and distributors of wine, meads and other fermented beverages among its members.  Kobiety I Wino or the Women and Wine Association is a national women’s organization in Poland with members such as importers, restaurateurs, oenologists, journalists, bloggers and wine enthusiasts.

More wine companies in Poland can be found on EUROPAGES or YP, Poland’s business directory. LinkedIn can be used to look up and contact professionals who work for companies in Poland specialized in wine. Information about wine companies in Poland can also be found on webpages specialized in exhibitions, trade fairs, F&B events and competitions such as Wine Expo Poland (annual wine trade show held in Warsaw, Poland), ENOEXPO (annual international wine fair held in Krakow, Poland), World Food Poland (annual unique food exhibition with a section for wine and spirits held in Warsaw, Poland) and Warsaw Wine Experience (annual wine event held in Warsaw, Poland).

International wine fairs are valuable platforms to develop contact base, meet buyers and build brand recognition.  At these trade fairs exporters can exhibit their wine at their stand and play host for important representatives from importers, distributors and retailers from across the world. This can give them a big boost in finding interested buyers for their wine. Prowein (Düsseldorf, Germany)
 is the largest annual wine trade fair for professionals from viticulture, production, trade and gastronomy. Vinexpo (Bordeaux, France) is a bi-annual wine trade fair that plays a significant role in the popularization of the wine industry and culture in Asia and Africa. Details of other wine trade shows can be found on Trade Fair Dates. 

The best way to understand the Polish market is to visit and speak to local stakeholders and prepare an entry strategy for the wine product. Almost all wine buyers prefer personal meetings to emails. If contact with potential buyers is done via email, a personalized one is most suitable as generic emails are perceived as unreliable or as spam. Such emails should explain how the particular wine product adds value to the importer’s portfolio and request connection with the right contact person.

Culture is defined as the collective attitudes and behavior which distinguishes one group of people from another. It is the patterns of thinking which are reflected in the meaning people attach to various aspects of life and which become crystallized in the institutions of a society. However, this does not mean that everyone in a given society is programmed in the same way.

Power Distance : the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

Both Lebanon and Poland score high on power distance indicating that both follow a hierarchal and centralized system with subordinates expecting clear directions from their autocratic managers.

Individualism: the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members.

While Lebanon scores low on individualism reflecting its collectivistic society, Poland scores high indicating its loosely-knit social framework. The former perceives employer/ employee relationships in moral terms and the latter defines it in a contract.

Poland scores high on both power distance and individualism emphasizing the importance of everyone in the system despite their inequality.

Power Masculinity : whether society is driven by competition, achievement and success (masculine) or dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life (feminine).

Both Lebanon and Poland score high on masculinity indicating their masculine societies. Managers in both countries are expected to be decisive and assertive. There is a lot of emphasis on equity, competition and performance.

Uncertain Avoidance : the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these.

Lebanon scored midway and thus, shows no clear preference. Poland, however, is among the uncertainty avoidant countries with a strong preference for rigid codes of belief and behavior. Poles have a strong urge for hard-work, precision and punctuality. Innovation is resisted while security is an important element in individual motivation.

Long Term Orientation: how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future.

Both Lebanon and Poland score low on long-term orientation indicating normative rather than pragmatic societies. People in both societies exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save for the future, and a focus on achieving quick results.

Indulgence: the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses.

Both countries score low on this dimension indicating that both cultures are rather restrained in nature. Such societies have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism. They have the perception that their actions are restrained by social norms and that self-indulgence is wrong. Restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control the gratification of their desires.

Establishing personal rapport is important when conducting business in Poland and most purchases are made after in-person meetings. English is often used as the language of international commerce, but translation services may also be necessary.

According to Cultural Atlas, it is customary for businesspeople to shake hands upon meeting while maintaining direct eye contact. Professional contacts should be initially addressed as Pan (Mr.) or Pani (Mrs.) followed by their surname. People with professional positions are addressed by their job as their title (for example: “Pan Inzynier” (Mr Engineer), “Pani Profesor” (Ms Professor)). People usually shake women’s hands first before addressing any men present and greet older women before girls.

Business cards are the norm and are generally given to each person at a meeting. Standard business attire is recommended, including a jacket and tie for men and a suit or dress for women. Jaywalking, drinking in public places and smoking in non-designated areas are all generally frowned upon.

Generally, Poles like to build personal relationships with those they do business with and get to know people’s personalities. While people interact quite formally, there is a lot of ‘professional closeness’. It can be wise to keep a healthy distance in business friendships as close relationships can often entail favors in the workplace later on.

Poles tend to have quite a discerning eye for fairness. They request hard facts and projections and do not appreciate boasting and broad claims. They look for honest commitments to the process and quality of relations and not mere focus on the short-term outcome. They tend to have tolerance for imprecision but not so much for lateness. In general, they are not prompt in telephone and email responses and might resort to out-of-office-hours phone calls.