That’s thanks to a looming trade tariff of up to 100% that would affect all European Union countries selling wine to the United States, where imported wine is a $20-billion-a-year industry. A wide swath of wine businesses in the U.S. also would be negatively affected, including importers, distributors, wine shop owners, sommeliers and grocery story wine buyers. At the moment these tariffs are merely proposals, with public comment accepted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative using an online comment form through Jan. 13. “If the Trump administration goes through with imposing the 100% tariffs on European wine, we can hold out for a few months,” said Jenny Lefcourt, whose Manhattan-based Jenny & Francois Selections portfolio of natural wine is distributed nationally. “Adding an additional 100% tariff could devastate many of us, not just in the short term.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 04, 2020 15:00 UTC