The customs dispute between the US government and the European Union due to the conflict with Airbus subsidies now also affects German, French, Spanish and British wines. The USA will levy an additional duty of 25 percent on their prices from October 18. The sanction mainly affects bottled wine, as the regulation only imposes duty on containers of less than two litres. As a result, wines in the USA are hardly competitive.
Interestingly, Italian wines are exempt from customs duty, as are sparkling wines. Champagne, sparkling wine, Cava and Prosecco can therefore still be exported to America without surcharges. French companies are particularly hard hit: in 2018 they exported wine worth around one billion euros to the USA. The country is the most important wine export market for France.
(uka)