Us and new duties, nothing changes for Italian (and Eu) wine. Us Wine Trade Alliance analysis

With the new U.S. tariff regime in force since July 24th, now based on Section 301, which is, on the pretext of “forced labor” rather than on Section 122 of the Trade Act and therefore on alleged economic deficits, there is, broadly speaking, little change for wine, or at least for Italian and European wine, while tariffs increase by a few percentage points for certain other countries. This is clearly explained in a statement issued by the “U.S. Wine Trade Alliance” which represents players in the U.S. wine trade. “These tariffs (those based on Section 301, ed) take effect simultaneously with the expiration of the temporary 10% surcharge imposed under Section 122. For most imported wines, this therefore represents a transition from the now-expired Section 122 tariff to the new Section 301 tariff, rather than the addition of a new tariff on top of an existing one”, underlines Uswta. The organization then outlined the current situation. For wines imported from the European Union (including Italy, France, Spain, and others), “wine will continue to be subject to an overall tariff of 10%, including the existing base duty, which generally amounts to only a few cents per bottle. In practical terms, the tariff burden remains virtually unchanged”.
For wines from Argentina and Canada, “wine will be subject to an additional 10% tariff under Section 301, in addition to the existing base duty, thereby maintaining a tariff burden substantially similar to that previously imposed under Section 122”. However, Uswta notes that Canadian wine could face an additional 50% tariff in connection with Canada boycott of U.S. wines and spirits, as well as other trade disputes. Likewise, for other exporters to the United States, such as Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, and others, “wine will be subject to an additional 12.5% tariff under Section 301, on top of the existing base duty. For these countries, the rate therefore increases by 2.5 percentage points compared to the now-expired Section 122 surcharge”.
However, as we have become accustomed to seeing in recent months, certainty is in short supply when it comes to Trump-era trade policies and the U.S. legal system. As Uswta further explains, “we are now awaiting the results of the separate Ustr (United States Trade Representative) investigations under Section 301 concerning structural overcapacity and production, which we expect to be published shortly. These investigations will provide another opportunity to argue that tariffs on wine don’t advance the government trade policy objectives and, on the contrary, harm U.S. importers, distributors, retailers, restaurateurs, and consumers”, reiterated Uswta. In recent days, the organization had also reminded policymakers that imported wine accounts for 60-70% of the U.S. wine business, a point also raised in Washington during consultations among trade associations regarding Section 301-related tariffs.
“While we had naturally hoped for an exemption for wine at this stage - and this was also requested by the European side - this outcome was widely anticipated. Our assessment has always been that the greatest opportunities to secure meaningful exemptions for wine will arise after these investigations are completed and the Turnberry Agreement is implemented, when the original “reciprocal” tariff rates are largely restored and the European Union is expected to return to the negotiating table in the autumn to look for additional exemptions for specific product categories.
“We believe that these broader negotiations represent the best opportunity to obtain more favorable treatment for wine. We know that wine is the European Union top priority”, still comments Uswta. Its remarks therefore suggest, among considerable uncertainty, that there may be room for an improvement in the situation. This seems to be reflected in the figures for Italian wine exports to the United States in 2026, which are still below 2025 levels but show some improvement. In the first 4 months of the year, exports totaled 564.2 million euros, dropping by -15.4% compared to the previous year, yet significantly better than the 35.2% decline recorded at the beginning of the year. As far as wine is concerned, this is happening in a broader context in which the new tariffs don’t substantially change the outlook for Italian agri-food exports in general: the tariff on Parmigiano Reggiano, for example, remains at 15%. Despite this duty, Italy most famous cheese has still increased its exports to the United States by +2.5% in the first five months of the year, according to data from the Consortium headed by Nicola Bertinelli. Likewise, the tariff on Prosciutto di Parma, another jewel of Emilia-Romagna Food Valley, remains at 10%, illustrating the situation for some of the most heavily exported Italian food products in the U.S. Market.