Usa, even the publisher of Wine Spectator, Marvin R. Shanken, is against the wine duties

Defusing the duty time bomb, threatened by the Trump administration and already on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s shortlist, is the big challenge of 2020. A sword of Damocles looming overall European wine, which risks having 100% taxation imposed on every bottle exported from the European Union, with devastating effects for a sector that, in 2018, shipped wine overseas for 3.8 billion euros, with Italy which, in the first 8 months of 2019 alone, was close to 1 billion euros (Istat data processed by Federvini). And if in the Old Continent everything will hopefully go well, and therefore with a reverse of Washington (which, meanwhile, in recent weeks has sewn up the tear, much deeper, with China), in the United States, the front of those who openly take sides against the duties is becoming more and more nourished.
After Sotheby’s and Zachy’s (as we have recounted in the past few days, here and here), who officially supported the petition against the duties, in the past few days came the clear stance of James Suckling, one of the most influential wine writers in the world, through the editorial “Leave wine out of the trade wars” (https://www.jamessuckling.com).
A line also followed by Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of “Wine Spectator”, who, yesterday, explained his point of view in the article “The New War Against Wine”, in which he points out that “the biggest threat to the wine business today is the increase in duties on imported wines. As many of you know, the first tariff increase has already come into effect: since the end of October, 25% has been added to the cost that importers pay for most of the wines and spirits imported by many European producers. These duties - recalls Shanken - could have a chilling effect on European wine sales in the coming months. And if this is not already serious enough, the U.S. government is thinking about increasing duties to 100% on an even wider list of European Union products, including all wines”. A threat that in practice translates into a “devastating impact” for a supply chain that starts with importers and involves distributors and retailers of imported wines, who would be hit hard by a dispute (the one, increasingly in the background and increasingly blurred, between Boeing and Airbus) that has nothing to do with wine. “Wine is a deeply rooted and economically important part of our culture. The wine business is a global network that includes small producers, farmers, restaurateurs and other businesses, both small and big international. These people are innocent victims of the trade war, and they deserve our support,” Marvin R. Shanken concludes.