The EU wine sector is “extremely concerned” about President Trump’s threat of a 30% US tariff on goods from the bloc but remains optimistic a deal will be reached.
Over the weekend, Trump shared a copy of a letter on Truth Social sent to EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen threatening a 30% tariff on EU goods from 1 August.
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The US President posted a similar letter sent to Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, which also included a 30% levy threat.
Since Trump came to office, Europe’s wine industry has been vocal in its fears about the prospect of high levies from the US on its imports. Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, the secretary general of EU wine trade body Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV), told Just Drinks today the association is “extremely concerned and we are very afraid, obviously”.
However, he added: “On the other hand, we keep a certain level of optimism. Thirty per cent represents really, I will not say a closure of the US market but a super high barrier. That’s the reason we are optimistic: we read it as a call of pressure to continue the negotiation from the US administration. The 30% is too high to be a definitive landing point and a closure of the negotiation.”
Von der Leyen confirmed in a press briefing yesterday (13 July) the EU would push back the bloc’s plans to introduce retaliatory tariffs to August. The measures, drawn up earlier this year, were initially due to come into play today (14 July).
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By GlobalData“We have a two-track approach,” she told journalists. “We have always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case and we will use the time that we have now until 1 August.”
She added: “On the second track, since the very beginning we have worked and now are ready to respond with countermeasures. We’ve prepared for this and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary.”
If the 30% levy does come into play, winemakers will see “more instability for imports”, said Sánchez Recarte. Many producers will also have to act quickly by sending stock over in advance, Sánchez Recarte said but he noted a lot of stockpiling already took place at the end of last year following the US presidential election.
Many vintners will look to invest in alternative markets in their 2026 campaigns, Sánchez Recarte said. “There is no way that we can deviate in August all the wines that we are normally shipping on a yearly basis to US to other markets. There is no alternative. That’s the problem.”
He said winemakers would still prepare themselves ahead of 1 August but the CEEV “still bets on negotiation”.
According to The Guardian, EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said a tariff of 30% or more, would make current transatlantic trade “almost impossible to continue”.
Just Drinks has also contacted SpiritsEurope and FoodDrinkEurope for comment.
On Friday, a group of US wine trade associations, including US Wine Trade Alliance and Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, penned a letter to Trump calling for all tariffs to be removed from wine in future trade agreements with the EU and Canada.
Trump also threatened Canada with a 35% tariff on its imports into the US last week.
“Maintaining vibrant international trade in wine with these partners is key to our continued success and our ability to support the livelihood of millions of Americans working in wine production and the hospitality sectors”, the letter said.
Commenting on the letter on LinkedIn, Benjamin Aneff, the president at US Wine Trade Alliance, said: “The sale of EU wine in the United States represents a huge economic surplus to America. We urge President Trump to secure a trade deal with the EU that ensures US Businesses are able to continue benefiting from this surplus, which drives up to 75% of the revenue in the US wine distribution system.”
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