US wine exports in California have reached $1.62bn in terms of winery revenues in 2016.

In spite of financial challenges, winery revenues have grown by 1% from 2015, while volume was 412.7 million liters (45.9 million cases).

Wine Institute's president and chief executive officer (CEO) Robert Koch said: "California wine exports continue to reflect the trend toward premiumisation with the dollar value of our wine sales outpacing volume shipments.

“California wines are well positioned for this trend, our vintners are offering quality, value, diverse styles, and environmental stewardship in their winemaking.

“Combined with the state’s iconic lifestyle, innovative cuisine and beautiful destinations, California wines continue to gain attention from consumers worldwide."

"We applaud the US Government's efforts to eliminate these barriers and strengthen our competitiveness globally."

Wines from California were mainly exported to 10 major markets including the EU's 28-member countries, accounting $685m, followed by Canada, $431m; Hong Kong, $99m; Japan, $87m; China, $82m; Mexico, $24m; South Korea, $23m; Switzerland, $19m; Singapore, $14m; and the Philippines, $13m.

Wine Institute's vice-president and international trade counsel Tom LaFaille said: "Trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have helped dramatically grow US wine exports yet discriminatory non-tariff trade barriers continue to be crafted by foreign governments at a steady pace.

"We applaud the US Government's efforts to eliminate these barriers and strengthen our competitiveness globally, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge against Canada, which seeks to ensure that British Columbia grocery store consumers can choose from the vast array of the world's great wines."

Since 1985, Wine Institute has been serving as the administrator of the Market Access Programme, a cost-share export promotion managed by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.