Chianti Contract: The threat of a tariff leaves Italian bottles on the ground

All that is required is the entire social media threat by President Trump to impose a 200 percent tariff on European wine for many pronilus charges, Chanitis and PROSECCOS to stop.

In Tuscany, the most famous area of ​​Italy wine, they were cut off thousands of bottles designated for American tables in the cellars of cold wine factories or in the storage rooms in Livorno, the city of the port from which they were leaving.

“A sales manager in the old cellar, a wine factory in the town of Tuscan in Tuscan in Montolsiano, said, where she stood among the wine bottles that were supposed to leave this month to the United States.” “The damage is already here.”

So far, Mr. Trump’s threat remains it. But it was sufficient for the growing American importers to stop requests instead of paying the definitions that could make wine is not applicable for some and not worthy of others. If customs duties are imposed – and they are fully transferred to consumers – a bottle of $ 20 will suddenly cost $ 60.

Along with France and Spain, Italy is among the most exposed in Europe to American definitions of wine, and many say the customs tariffs by 200 percent will be destroyed. For nearly 15 years, the United States has been the largest export market in Italy wine. About a quarter of wine exports in Italy, or about 2 billion dollars, are charged to America every year.

Through the rolling hills of Tuscany, with olive orchids and rural roads lined with the saro, this relationship feels especially narrow.

For decades, the wine importers who talk about Tuscan, the Italians who suffer from this, flocked to Tuscany, and have recovered bottles of Chiantis and famous BRUNLLOS to American home tables and restaurants. American wine fans come in large numbers to the region – second after Venito for wine exports – and wine shops in Tuscan after signs of reading, “Usa+Euro Free Shipping”.

Maybe not for a longer period.

Giancarlo Pacenti, who is the wine factory on the slopes of the Montalcino town in the Middle Ages, sat alongside the prizes he received from the American wine magazines for Bonelilus where he described his fears for the future.

Mr. Bastini, who inherited his father’s wine factory, visits the United States several times a year. He exported his prophecies-made of sangosyvis and his age in French oak barrels-across the Atlantic Ocean since the mid-1990s. He said that the strong American demand helped to develop his business, and is now selling nearly 40 percent of his reports of importers in the United States.

But now, importers tell him to stop more shipments.

“Collar collapses,” he said. “We never expected to find a closed door as we always had absolute freedom.”

Some producers said that the threat of definitions added to other modern problems, including The rise of non -alcoholic alcohol, beer and souls.

On the other side of the ocean, the importers said that the uncertainty caused by the escalating world trade war was forcing them to take a break because the shipments that travel by sea can reach the habits after the customs duties enter into force.

“The definitions can be 200 percent,” said Brian Larry, the American importer of Mr. Bastini wine, who is based in Napa Valley, in California. “This is enough to prevent you in your paths.”

Merciful, those responsible for paying customs duties, can transfer the cost to customers, but there is no doubt that it will reduce sales. They can also accommodate the cost of customs duties, erase their profits, or ask producers to bear some burden, and reach their profits. But with a 200 percent tariff, “We all finished unemployment,” said Ms. Maziti, of the Montolsiano factory.

Mr. Trump He announced his intention to impose overwhelming definitions On European wine and champagne in fact social on March 13. It was part of a commercial battle with the European Union, which started with a set of customs tariffs imposed by Trump. The bloc responded to what Mr. Trump called a 50 percent “bad” tariff for the American whiskey, which led him to issue a threat against “all wine, chips, alcoholic products that come out of France and other countries represented in the European Union” if the whiskey tariff is not removed.

The European Union since then He said that he would delay this tariff To give officials more time to conclude a deal with the Trump administration.

Mr. Trump said that the customs tariff for European alcohol products “will be great for wine and champagne companies in the United States” but it may not be so simple. For most American wine producers, Sales depend on small companies Distributors, retailers and restaurants – which are also partially dependent on European wine sales.

“These Italian wine are needed in Italian restaurants,” said Mr. Larry, who imports nearly five million bottles of Italian wine in the United States. “People will not replace wine from La Lier, from Chaplus, or from Tuscany – Brunilo or Parolo – with some wine from Chile.”

While they were wandering last week around Montletino, which overlooks the Chrome Valley, some American tourists agreed.

“This will be a great loss,” said Dave We Winyr, 74 years old, a retired doctor from Sonoma, in California, who says he prefers Italian and French wine over a variety of Italian and French wine. He said, “I grew up drinking American wine.” “But I grew up.”

Other American tourists said they had requested hundreds of wine bottles from local wine factories during their vacation to store them before any tariff came into effect.

“I told them to charge them immediately,” said Jennifer Manguson, 48, from Idaho.

While some producers initially rushed to the US warehouse accumulation with bottles before the definitions came into effect, they say the window has often closed.

“Our largest customer has already sent messages to the Italian producers who tell them to stop.” “With this uncertainty, we cannot afford the costs of the bottle and charging.”

The Bourggen wine council, a commercial association that strengthens Burgundy wine in France, said the Spanish wine association they see a similar trend, as the importers put some shipments.

Bin Grosberg, who imports Portuguese wine in the United States, said he canceled his last container 15 minutes before he left the warehouse in Portugal. “The risk of putting wine on the water is very large,” he said.

Some importers who have higher tolerance of the risks are still asking for orders, but Mr. Frescopaled said that if the definitions are already entered into force, this would be a fatal blow to the industry.

He said, “The American market,” cannot be dispensed with. “

The Tuskan still expresses its hope that the European Union will convince Mr. Trump in one way or another to decline. But even if the commercial battle is cool, many in Tuscany and elsewhere are afraid that at least part of the losses caused by uncertainty cannot be retracted.

“At this time of the year, she and her employees were usually organizing activities and promotional taste of US importers. But they stopped.

“The damage has already happened,” Mrs. Mayer said. “We have lost time in a critical moment.”

Roser Bevari She contributed to the reports from Barcelona.