(Decanter) - After a record-breaking export year, Italy now has nearly a quarter of the global wine market, according to the latest statistics. National statistics agency ISTAT reported exports of Italian wine rose by 12% to more than €4.4bn. Exports by volume were also up, by 9%, to 24m hectolitres, giving Italy a 22% share of the global wine market, the agency said. The US was the most significant export market in value terms, followed by Germany and the UK, while Germany was the leading importer of Italian wine by volume.