Wine importers in Colombia range from specialist estate-wine businesses to distributors with broader wine and spirits portfolios. For an exporting winery, choosing a partner means matching origin, price and available volume with a specific customer base. Start with the cities and channels you can support, then confirm the importer’s purchasing role, registration responsibilities and launch plan.
Updated 24 September 2026. A practical guide for wineries researching Colombian buyers and preparing market entry.
Assess the opportunity by portfolio and channel
The buyers below illustrate different approaches. CLOS focuses on European wineries with a strong estate identity. Dislicores combines distribution with its own retail presence. Marpico imports wines and spirits from multiple origins. Each model calls for a different proposal: a focused estate selection, a range with repeatable volume, or a brand that complements a wider drinks portfolio.
Review competing producers and price bands before making contact. Explain the role your wines could play: a missing appellation, a restaurant-friendly style, or a clear price step within an existing category. Avoid assuming that a buyer needs another producer simply because it already sells wines from your country.
Use market statistics carefully. Imported value, litres and retail revenue measure different things, and an increase in one does not establish growth in every segment. For a winery, buyer-level evidence matters: intended accounts, realistic opening quantities and the ability to reorder. Our wine export market selection guide helps compare Colombia with other export priorities.
Examples of wine importers and distributors in Colombia
| Company | Business profile | What a winery should assess |
|---|---|---|
| CLOS Vinos | Specialist importer of wines from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, with a focus on distinctive family estates and a range including organic and biodynamic producers. | Compare regional and price overlap, confirm the intended trade customers and establish geographic coverage. |
| Dislicores | Wine and spirits distributor with national reach and its own Dislicores Store retail network, combining represented and own brands. | Identify the category buyer and distinguish a retail-store opportunity from wider distribution; agree volume and launch expectations. |
| Marpico Vinos y Licores | Wine and spirits importer representing international brands, with wines from South American, European and other producing countries. | Check competing estates, the responsible regional sales team and the support required for your proposed range. |
Sources: company information and the ASOVINOS trade-association profile linked above, reviewed 24 September 2026. These examples illustrate buying models rather than a ranking. Discuss current supplier opportunities with the relevant buyer before sending samples.
Dislicores’ import role is also documented in an INVIMA wine registration. Marpico’s corporate responsibility plan describes its wine and spirits import business and departmental presence. These sources help establish business roles; they do not indicate current supplier vacancies.
Build a city and channel plan
Bogotá, Medellín and other target cities
Ask where the importer has active customers and salespeople, rather than relying on a promise of national delivery. For each launch city, identify the relevant account types, intended price band and replenishment arrangements. Evaluate expansion to further cities after the opening range has produced useful sales and reorder evidence.
Restaurants, hotels and specialist retail
A hospitality offer should distinguish by-the-glass wines from premium bottle-list placements. Establish who presents the wines, supports staff and follows up with accounts. In specialist shops, provide a concise explanation of origin, style and value that staff can use with customers. Discuss seasonal demand separately for any proposed tourism-dependent accounts.
Supermarkets and broader distribution
Confirm who negotiates the listing, who purchases and holds the stock, and which promotional costs fall to the winery. Ask about delivery requirements, payment timing and responsibility for unsold inventory. A distributor’s size alone does not establish access to a particular retailer.
Prepare INVIMA and import responsibilities early
INVIMA’s alcoholic-beverage guidance explains the sanitary registration requirements and the imported-wine process, including the VUCE import step and sanitary inspection. It also addresses label warnings and changes to the importer named in a registration.
Before committing to a launch date, agree who will hold and manage the relevant registration, prepare the application, pay the fees and obtain the winery’s supporting documents. Establish how changes of importer or product will be handled. Have the local partner confirm the applicable procedure for each wine and approve the label information before printing or dispatch.
Samples also need an agreed import route. Ask the recipient to confirm the documents and any authorisation needed for the proposed tasting shipment; do not assume that a small parcel can be sent using the same process as ordinary non-alcoholic samples.
Calculate a Colombian delivered price
Build the calculation back from the intended selling price in Colombian pesos. Include freight, insurance, handling, applicable customs duties, consumption tax, VAT and trading margins. If quoting in euros or US dollars, state the quotation’s validity and agree how currency changes will be managed.
A trade agreement does not by itself establish the duty payable on every shipment. Have the importer or customs adviser confirm the tariff classification, origin requirements and applicable preference using DIAN’s import resources. Keep customs duty separate from other taxes and commercial costs.
Regional administration also belongs in the launch plan. The Federation of Departments’ SIANCO system covers consumption-tax information, product traceability and movement processes involving departments and Bogotá. Ask the partner to confirm the registrations, declarations and movement documentation applicable to the territories it will serve.
Qualify a Colombian buyer before sending samples
- Confirm the role: identify the importing entity, purchasing contact and any downstream distributors.
- Test portfolio fit: compare origin, style and price with existing wines.
- Map coverage: establish the launch cities, customer channels and responsible salespeople.
- Agree preparation: assign registration, label, sample and shipment responsibilities.
- Define the commercial test: agree opening stock, payment terms, target accounts and a review before wider exclusivity.
Use our importer qualification checklist and wine buyer outreach templates to prepare a focused approach. Include technical sheets, vintage, available volume, case and pallet details, and realistic replenishment lead times.
Build your Colombian buyer shortlist
Request a BestWineImporters demo to review the available Colombian importer and distributor coverage. Tell our team your origin, export price range, annual availability and preferred cities or channels so the discussion centres on buyers relevant to your winery.
Compare related export markets
For a Latin American buyer shortlist, compare city coverage, importer models and launch preparation with the Brazil wine importer guide and the Mexico wine importer guide. Qualify buyers, territory and commercial terms separately for each market.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the right wine importer in Colombia?
Shortlist buyers whose portfolios, prices and customer channels fit your wines. Confirm purchasing responsibility and an achievable city-level sales plan before sending samples.
Does a trade agreement make importing wine tax-free?
No. Any customs preference depends on the product and applicable origin rules, while other taxes and costs must be assessed separately.
What should be agreed before the first commercial shipment?
Confirm the registration and import arrangements, approved labels, delivered-cost calculation, payment terms, stock responsibilities and launch accounts. Set a review point to assess repeat demand.