US tariffs are once again weighing heavily on the wine sector, fueling an atmosphere of uncertainty that penalizes both businesses and markets. The alarm was raised by Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) following the rejection by the U.S. Court of International Trade of the new global tariffs and the timeline set by President Donald Trump for compliance with the Turnberry trade agreement, signed in Scotland last August. The picture that emerges is one of a supply chain under pressure, affected not only by tariff measures but also by regulatory instability that makes it difficult to plan investments and commercial strategies. According to UIV, as expected, tariffs have weakened Italian wine exports to the United States, but they have also significantly impacted the American supply chain and distribution network. This was confirmed by the United States Wine Trade Alliance (USWTA), which recently released an official statement in the public debate on tariff measures.
American operators—importers, distributors, producers, restaurateurs and wine shop owners—speak of “real, widespread damage borne by American companies across the entire wine supply chain, with sales down between 5% and 15% or even more.”
The contraction in supply is particularly evident in the restaurant channel, where European wines represent a high‑margin category.
The impact of U.S. tariffs on the American wine supply chain: fewer labels in restaurants and reduced variety
The effect of U.S. tariffs is also reflected in a concrete reduction in the presence of European wines on U.S. menus. According to Datassential data cited by UIV, restaurants across the United States now offer 37% fewer white wine labels and 26% fewer red wine labels.
This trend affects a strategic segment, considering that European wines in restaurants generate gross margins of around 60%, directly influencing the economic sustainability of operators.
Italian wine exports to the U.S., Frescobaldi (UIV): “Threats and rejections amplify uncertainty”
Expressing the position of Unione Italiana Vini is its president, Lamberto Frescobaldi, who emphasizes that the most damaging effect is not only economic but also tied to the lack of clarity surrounding the future of trade relations.
“On the issue of U.S. tariffs, recent threats and rejections amplify uncertainty: for companies, it is damage on top of damage. The hope for wine producers is to reduce, as much as possible, this indeterminacy through the ratification of the Turnberry agreement, fully aware that this will hardly be a cause for celebration.”
UIV raises the alarm on U.S. tariffs: Italian wine exports down 20% in the first quarter and fewer European labels in American restaurants. Ratifying the agreement is therefore seen as a necessary step, at least to reduce the instability weighing on the sector.
On the Italian side, data from the UIV Observatory confirm the scale of the crisis. In 2025, exports to the United States recorded an overall decline of 9.2%, equal to 178 million euros, with a -23% drop concentrated in the last six months of the year.
The first quarter of 2026 closed with a year‑on‑year gap of around -20%, equal to 105 million euros, marking the worst start to a year since 2022. According to the Observatory, however, after nine consecutive months in negative territory, sales are expected to show a slight uptick as early as April—a sign of a possible mini‑rebound.
The scenario outlined by UIV shows that the issue of U.S. tariffs is not limited to international trade but has structural repercussions across the entire wine ecosystem, both in Europe and the United States. In this context, the priority for businesses remains reducing uncertainty, a necessary condition for resuming long‑term planning in production, exports and investments. Ratifying trade agreements, while not a definitive solution, is viewed as an essential step toward restoring a minimum level of stability in an otherwise highly unstable environment.
