French winemakers say they’re facing a repeated “nightmare” after US President Donald Trump announced 20 percent tariffs on European Union products. The head of France’s main winegrowers’ union warned the move could cost the sector €1 billion.
Jérôme Bauer, an Alsatian winegrower and president of France’s National Confederation of Producers of Wines (CNAOC), said the new tariff level was “unbearable for French viticulture”.
Bauer told FranceInfo radio he had “a very clear idea of the consequences” because of a similar dispute during Trump’s first term, when the US imposed a 25 percent tariff on French wines. Champagne was excluded from those measures.
Trump escalates trade tensions with 200 percent tariff on EU wine, champagne
“We lost over 500 million euros in revenue,” said Bauer. “Now, with the new announcements from the US president, we’ve recalculated because all products will be taxed at 20 percent.”
He said the "nightmare is starting again” and warned that the industry is now in a weaker position. “The French wine industry economy is not flourishing.”
French exports of wine and spirits fell 4 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to figures from the French Wine and Spirits Exports Federation (FEVS). The sector is also dealing with a trade dispute with China that has affected sales of cognac and armagnac.
French wine exports fall amid trade tensions and threat of US tariffs
Bauer said he was concerned about the impact on “the farms and jobs.”
“With president Trump, we didn’t know what to expect, but we expected it to hurt,” he said.
He said the CNAOC would raise the issue at the vines and wines intergroup in the European Parliament.
“The first issue to be discussed with our MEPs will be this conflict with the United States,” he added.
