US Wine Imports Contract Under Tariff Pressure
US wine imports fell 8.3% in value and 2% in volume in 2025 as a 15% tariff on European Union wine added pressure to weaker demand and high inventories. Bottled-wine imports then dropped about 34% year over year in the first quarter of 2026.
Import values and volumes have weakened as tariffs, softer demand and post-stockpiling adjustments reshape the American wine market.
What happened
US wine imports weakened in 2025 after a year marked by changing tariff rates, advance purchasing and declining domestic demand. Customs data analysed by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organisation show import value falling 8.3 per cent to about US$6.2 billion, while volume declined 2.0 per cent to approximately 1.2 billion litres.
The difference between value and volume matters. It indicates that lower declared prices and pressure on margins accompanied the reduction in shipments. The contraction was therefore not only a question of fewer bottles entering the country.
European wine was directly exposed. A 15 per cent tariff on most European Union goods, including wine, took effect in August 2025. France and Italy together account for roughly 70 per cent of US wine imports by value, concentrating the tariff impact in the two largest supplier countries.
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