Usa, wine market down in value and volume in February. While straws of duty effect are drawn

With Usa duties on frozen Eu products, today, at 10%, up to July, 9th, waiting for the evolution of diplomatic negotiations (and, considering the unforeseeable decisions by Us President Donald Trump), and with the recovery of wine expeditions, at least, partially, after the stop due to the threat of duties at 200%, the alarm seems to be a little bit ceased, also at a communicative level, with news about reciprocal tariffs which, now, regard more the axis Usa-China. But, the alert, in what is the first wine market in the world, and the first for wine Italy overall, remains high also among American trade, which, in the meantime, seems to have stocked up European, and, particularly, Italian products a little bit, as +19.6% in value, and +4.5 in volume of Italian exports to the States in January 2025 compared to the same 2024 data (Istat data analyzed by WineNews) testify in a framework which has to be clarified completely in its reach, in the short and medium term. As the questionnaire sent to American trade by Us Wine Trade Alliance testifies with the aim to understand the real impact of tariffs, “and transmit to political decision-makers the value of the real issue at stake”. In order to understand how the situation is complex, to wine retailers and importers, Uswta asks how tariffs at 10% are affecting the activity today (considering the effects on workforce, investments, growth plans, sales volume, prices, and relations with partners), and which will be the long-term impact if things will remain in this way (considering also currency fluctuations). But, not lastly, attesting a distension of economic measures between the Usa and Eu is not taken for granted, although, somehow, hoped by everyone, also by the same Usa President Donald Trump, as said by himself at the end of the meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the last April, 17th, Us Wine Trade Alliance asks its members so that they foresee a countermove “if trade negotiations between the Eu and the Usa will go bad, and tariffs will raise to 20% or more”, in two months and half, mainly looking at aspects such as profitability, relations with suppliers, and workforce. A signal, somehow, of tension of Usa wine market, which, however, in February 2025, according to SipSource data, the tool of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America monitoring what exits by importer magazines, and ends ins sale effectively, registered an additional drop in volumes (-9.4%), and earnings (-10.8%).