The US tariff bill? $61 million in three months. This was revealed by the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) Observatory, which analyzed the latest import data from US customs. This is the additional cost paid by Italian wine companies to sell their labels overseas. In what is a somewhat uneven ranking, France narrowly edges out Italy, seeing the bill reach $62.5 million, followed by Spain in distant third place.
US Tariffs: Average Italian Wine Price Drops
As expected, the cost of US tariffs is largely being borne by companies, especially since in July, Italian wine arrived in the US with a lower average price (-13.5%) to remain competitive even after escaping the tariffs.
This was revealed by the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) Observatory, which reports that the average price of Italian wines has dropped from $6.52/liter in July 2024 to $5.64 in the same period this year, despite a depreciation of the US dollar, which should instead push Americans to spend more on buying in euros.
“We must highlight the significant margin sacrifices our companies are making to cope with US tariffs,” emphasizes Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Italian Wine Union. “Wine is leaving the cellars at lower prices, and this demonstrates that a large portion of companies are shouldering the full burden of the tariff to remain competitive.”
But there’s more: according to the UIV, paradoxically, unjustified increases are being observed in US retail outlets.
“We understand that the products on the shelves are part of pre-tax stocks accumulated in the first few months of the year,” adds the UIV president. “It is therefore unfortunate to see increases that have no justification. Speculation by some that does not help our companies, nor our US trade partners, who also oppose the tariffs.”
According to UIV, faced with these difficulties, it is desirable to launch an extraordinary promotion starting from the Stars and Stripes market as early as 2026. This response, conceived under public-private coordination and based on the uniqueness of Italian drinks, will focus not only on the United States but also on promising markets such as the UK, Canada, and Brazil.
