2025 marked a setback for wine imports in the United States. After more than a decade of almost uninterrupted growth and the peak reached in the years immediately following the pandemic, the U.S. market has now returned to negative territory. Total import value stopped at $6.21 billion, down 8.3% compared to the $6.78 billion recorded in 2024, equal to $565 million less.
The slowdown, however, does not concern wine alone. Beer imports also fell by 6.9% (-$517 million). But the most drastic figure concerns spirits, which in 2025 suffered a 26.4% collapse, equivalent to over $3.1 billion less than the previous year.
Looking at the long curve, from 2010 to today, 2025 appears as a point of rebalancing after the extraordinary expansion seen between 2021 and 2022. During that phase, U.S. demand—driven by at‑home consumption and the recovery of the on‑trade—had pushed wine imports to record levels. Today the market appears more cautious: stockpiles accumulated along the supply chain, consumption normalization and macroeconomic uncertainty have cooled demand.
France and Italy Remain Pillars of the U.S. Wine Market—but Lead the Decline
The 2025 slowdown affects above all the main players in transatlantic trade. France and Italy, which together account for more than two‑thirds of the value of wine imported into the United States, are also the countries recording the most significant losses.
France remains the leading supplier to the U.S. market, with $2.38 billion in exports in 2025, but loses $118 million compared to the previous year (‑4.7%).
Italy, second in value, registers the largest contraction in absolute terms: ‑$220 million, with imports falling from $2.25 billion to $2.03 billion (‑9.8%).
Behind the two European leaders, declines are widespread. New Zealand (‑8.7%), Spain (‑13.2%) and Australia (‑11.4%) follow the same trajectory. But the sharpest percentage drops involve smaller markets: Moldova (‑63%), Switzerland (‑33%), Georgia (‑33%) and South Africa (‑30%).
The overall picture portrays a market slowing across the board. This is not a loss of centrality for the United States in global wine trade—which remains the world’s number‑one market in value—but rather a phase of normalization after years of exceptional growth.
The Return of Tariffs: Nearly Half a Billion Dollars in Revenue in 2025
Another factor reshaping the landscape of wine imported into the United States is the return of trade tensions and customs duties.
In 2025, U.S. revenue from wine tariffs reached $492.2 million, far higher than in previous years. For comparison, revenue totaled $81.8 million in 2024 and $113 million in 2019, before the first wave of trade tariffs.
The increase in revenue is linked to new measures introduced during the year. In February, 25% duties were applied to Canada and Mexico. In April, Washington announced new “reciprocal” tariffs affecting most wine‑exporting countries, including a 20% tariff on European wines and 30% on South African wines, although some measures were later suspended. In any case, a base tariff of 10% remained in place for many trade partners.
Who Really Pays U.S. Tariffs? The Supply Chain Dilemma
A crucial question remains, central to understanding the real impact of these policies: who actually bore the cost of the tariffs?
The structure of the wine supply chain makes it difficult to identify a single party responsible. The economic burden may be shared across the entire value chain:
- in some cases, producers reduce margins to keep prices competitive in the U.S.;
- in others, importers or distributors absorb part of the impact;
- and often, a portion of the cost is passed directly to the final consumer.
This uncertainty helps explain the volatility of the U.S. market in 2025. Amid slowing demand, new trade balances and a redefinition of margins along the supply chain, imported wine in the United States enters a more complex phase.
For major exporters—Italy and France first and foremost—the U.S. market remains a strategic pillar. But the message emerging from 2025 is clear: growth can no longer be taken for granted. Trade policies, geopolitics and new consumption behaviors are rewriting the global wine trade’s balance.
