Greek wine exports to the United States fell 6% under the new U.S. tariff

Greek and broader European wine exports to the United States declined in 2026 as a 15% U.S. import tariff and weaker alcohol consumption weighed on sales, according to a briefing cited in an update published Thursday, November 5 by the Xanthi Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber said the figures came from the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Greek Embassy in Washington. According to provisional Eurostat data for January through August 2026, the value of Greek wine exports to the U.S. fell 6% from the same period in 2025, while export volume slipped 1%.

The data suggest Greek wine held up better than the wider European market, even as shipments moved lower. For the European Union as a whole, wine exports to the U.S. dropped sharply during the first year of the tariff regime, from April 2025 through March 2026. Over that period, the value of EU wine exports to the U.S. fell 21.1%, while volume declined 9%.

The embassy briefing, as summarized by the chamber, identified the U.S. tariffs as a main reason for the downturn. It also pointed to a broader decline in consumption of alcoholic beverages. That combination has made the U.S. market harder for European producers at a time when many exporters rely on it as one of their most important overseas destinations.

The report also said the tariffs’ effects have been amplified by falling wine consumption, exchange-rate swings and a weaker presence for European products in U.S. distribution channels and on retail shelves. It said European producers have also faced notable pressure on prices and profit margins.

Those pressures matter across the beverage business, not only for wineries but also for importers, distributors and retailers tied to European labels. Lower export values and tighter pricing can reduce revenue and compress margins, while weaker placement in distribution networks can make it harder for brands to hold shelf space in a strategic market.

The figures for Greece indicate that the country’s producers have so far been more resilient than the broader EU average, at least by comparison with the bloc-wide decline recorded during the tariff period. Still, the Greek data show that exporters have not been insulated from the weaker market. A 6% decline in value with only a 1% drop in volume also suggests that pricing conditions may have softened even where shipments held relatively steady.

The chamber said the European Committee of Wine Companies, known as CEEV, is calling for a return to the previous tariff framework and arguing that wine should be excluded from the additional charges. The briefing it referenced includes detailed statistics and assessments on the path of Greek and European wine exports to the U.S.