On the second day of Vinitaly, it was Federvini who took stock of the economic losses facing Italian wine in the US, following the tariffs introduced by Trump, with the event Between tariffs and the revolution in consumption: is wine at a historic turning point? According to data compiled by the Nomisma Wine Monitor, Italian wine exports to the United States are worth nearly two billion euros per year, with a clear dominance of PDO wines. The US market alone represents 24% of global exports of Italian wine.
The weight of competition from Californian producers
How much would Italian appellation wines end up costing in the US market with 20% tariffs? The increase in average import prices of PDO wines could range from +€0.90/litre for Prosecco to as much as +€2.60/litre for Piedmont red wines and +€2.40/litre for Tuscan reds.
According to Wine Monitor, considering that from customs to the shelf the price of wine typically increases by a factor of four (due to the US distribution system, which by law requires three intermediaries – importer, distributor, retailer – before reaching the consumer), the risk of Italian wine being squeezed out of American distribution channels is real. Add to this the competition from countries like Chile, Australia, and Argentina, and above all, from Californian producers themselves, who offer wines at significantly lower prices.
Risk of being pushed off the shelves
“20% tariffs on Italian wines risk pushing us off American shelves to the benefit of other competitors,” says Federvini President Micaela Pallini bluntly. Along with other industry associations, she has signed an appeal to the Institutions to initiate a multilateral dialogue aimed at suspending the additional tariffs.
“The time for isolated reactions is over,” Pallini warns. “We need coordination, a far-sighted vision. Defending wine today means safeguarding one of the pillars of our economy and the image of Italy in the world.”
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