U.S. Tariffs Hit Italian Wine Exports

One year after the United States imposed new tariffs on imported wine and spirits, Italy’s wine industry is entering the 58th edition of Vinitaly with a clear message: the sector is under pressure in its biggest foreign market, but it is moving to widen its reach elsewhere.

Federvini, the Italian trade group for wine and spirits, said exports of Italian wine ended 2025 down 3.6% in value, a loss of nearly €300 million, according to research by its observatory with Nomisma and TradeLab. The sharpest setback came from the United States, where shipments fell 12% after the tariff changes took effect. In the first two months of 2026, that decline widened to 34%, showing how quickly the new duties have affected one of Italy’s most important export destinations.

The group said Italy has so far held up better than several other major wine producers. French exports fell 4.4%, Spain’s dropped 5.1%, Chile’s declined 10.2%, and U.S. wine exports were down 36% over the same period, according to Federvini’s analysis.

“We are standard-bearers of Made in Italy, and we have a duty to look ahead with a positive spirit,” Giacomo Ponti, Federvini’s president, said at an event linked to Vinitaly in Verona. He urged closer coordination with government institutions as producers adjust to a more uncertain global trading environment. The meeting included Adolfo Urso, Italy’s minister for enterprises and made in Italy; Marcello Gemmato, undersecretary of health; Matteo Zoppas, president of the Italian Trade Agency; and Paolo De Castro, a member of the European Parliament.

Albiera Antinori, who heads Federvini’s wine group, said the domestic market is increasingly rewarding quality, experience and regional identity. In grocery retail, wine sales held steady at about €3 billion in value, while volumes fell 2.8%. Sparkling wines continued to outperform the broader category, rising 3.1% in volume.

The picture was less favorable in restaurants, bars and other out-of-home channels. Wine consumption there fell 6.6% in a market worth €102 billion that still grew 1.5% in value overall. Sparkling wines declined less sharply, down 2.3%, as younger consumers continue to favor lighter drinking habits.

With the U.S. market under strain, Italian producers are turning more attention to new trade openings promoted by the European Union. On May 1, the provisional entry into force of the EU-Mercosur agreement is expected to give exporters access to a bloc of about 260 million people with a combined gross domestic product of roughly $3 trillion. Wine imports in that region have risen 45% over the past five years, and Italy already holds an 8% share, helped by demand for Tuscan and Piedmontese reds.

India is also becoming a priority market. Federal wine tariffs there are set to fall from 150% to between 20% and 30%, a change that could reshape trade flows in a country of 1.47 billion people. Prosecco sales have already grown 165% there, Federvini said.

A separate agreement with Australia removes tariffs entirely and opens what Italian producers see as a high-value market with wine imports worth more than €540 million. Industry officials said those deals create new opportunities but do not solve a long-running concern for Italian exporters: stronger legal protection abroad for geographic indications tied to regional names and labels.