U.S. wine exports, 90 percent from California, reached a record high $1.55 billion in winery revenues in 2013, up 16.4 percent compared to the previous year, an increase for the fourth consecutive year by value.

Volume shipments reached 435.2 million liters or 48.4 million cases, up 7.5 percent.

“Consumers across the globe continue to recognize the quality, diversity and value of California wines, despite significant trade barriers and heavily subsidized foreign competitors,” said Wine Institute President and CEO Robert P. (Bobby) Koch.

“While the U.S. remains our largest, most important market, California exports a fifth of its wine, and we are on track to reach our goal of $2 billion in exports by 2020,” Koch said. “Our outstanding 2012 and 2013 California vintages, heralded for quality as well as quantity, were a record high so we have the ability to expand.”

Of the top export markets for California Wines, the European Union's 28-member countries are the largest accounting for $617 million, up 31 percent compared to the previous year; followed by Canada, $454 million, up 12 percent; Japan, $102 million, down 7 percent; Hong Kong, $78 million, down 12 percent; China, $77 million, up 6 percent; Mexico, $22 million, up 21 percent; South Korea, $18 million, up 16 percent.

“We have an aggressive global marketing campaign underway that communicates California as an aspirational place with beautiful landscapes, iconic lifestyle, great wine and food, and as an environmental leader,” said Wine Institute Vice President International Marketing Linsey Gallagher.

“Our activities in 25 countries convey these messages across the world through a full slate of activities including our global social media campaign and consumer Web site, www.discovercaliforniawines.com , which has been translated into Chinese and will soon be launched in seven other languages,” Gallagher said. “Our programming in China has greatly expanded and allowed us to continue to show gains in that top priority market when our key competitors saw losses last year.”

Wine Institute partners with the U.S. government to lower tariffs and eliminate unnecessary technical barriers in key export markets, according to Tom LaFaille, Wine Institute vice president and international trade counsel.

In particular, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation “Wine Regulators Forum” helps developing countries to implement science-based regulations and eliminate burdensome and duplicative regulations, he said.

“This five-year project will help significantly reduce the costs of cross-border wine trade, stimulate demand and increase U.S. exports to this important region,” said LaFaille.

Since 1985, Wine Institute has served as the administrator of the Market Access Program, a cost-share export promotion program managed by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. More than 150 wineries participate in Wine Institute's California Wine Export Program and export to 125 countries.