Italian wine exports to US ‘at standstill’ due to tariff fears

MILAN: Italian wine and spirits exports to the United States are stalling due to the uncertainty over possible tariffs that President Donald Trump could impose in the coming weeks, trade group Federvini said on Wednesday.

Trump has threatened to slap a 200% tariff on wine and other alcohol imports from Europe, as part of a developing trade war also involving steel and aluminium products. The White House is expected to make a major tariff announcement on April 2.

“Our members have received requests from importers to suspend shipments, as no one wants to risk bottles being hit by tariffs once they arrive in the US”, Federvini’s president Micaela Pallini told Reuters. “After an initial front-loading phase, in which companies tried to anticipate shipments, the market is now at a standstill: importers fear they will find themselves with unsellable stock at uncompetitive prices”, she added.

Pallini pointed out that some US restaurants are running out of some bottles, while prices for available stock are increasing.