When Donald Trump brandishes his favourite weapon against France - 200% tariffs on wines and spirits

here was a distinct sense of déjà vu last week as US President Donald Trump once again brandished the threat of tariffs. Angered by remarks from the French President Emmanuel Macron – who had declined Trump’s invitation to join the newly announced Board of Peace – the US President stated bluntly on January 19, ahead of the Davos Summit, that he intended to force compliance by threatening to slap 200% tariffs on French wines and Champagnes. “At this stage, the threat is inadmissible and unprecedented in its brutality, as it targets a single industry – wine – which could certainly do without such pressure given the challenges it already faces”, reacted France’s Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, speaking on national television on January 20.  

As the world’s leading export market, the United States is proving to be a particularly volatile destination for the French wine industry, which has been put through its paces by Donald Trump in recent months. As early as March 2025, he threatened 200% tariffs on French wines amid a broader dispute between the two countries over steel and aluminium. He subsequently eased the pressure, capping tariffs at 10% for all European goods in April before a trade deal with Europe ultimately settled on 15% tariffs, viewed as the lesser evil compared with the previously threatened 30%. Having failed to secure a duty exemption, French wines and spirits became concerned after a January 17 announcement warning of an additional 10% duty from February 1 followed by a further 25% in June, in retaliation for European opposition to American ambitions regarding Greenland.

The consequences of all this have been severe, with French wines suffering their steepest export decline in the United States in 2025. Yet the impact of American trade policy extends beyond global wine exports – its domestic wine industry is also being penalised with American wine exports recording their most significant losses in 2025.