The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has named April 2 as Liberation Day. On that date, a series of tariffs will come into effect in that country that could affect numerous European products.
As far as Spain is concerned, some of the most affected exports will be those of the primary sector. Among them, the wine sector is expected to be one of the hardest hit, especially if tariffs of 200% were to be imposed, as Trump has stated on more than one occasion.
In Lanzarote, Bodegas Bermejos is by far the largest exporter to the United States. Its manager, Ana de León, talks about the matter in an interview with Ekonomus.
- Do you think the tariffs on European wine will come into effect this Tuesday, April 2?
I don't know, but it is being used as a weapon of pressure by Trump on Europe. We already suffered these tariffs a few years ago in his previous legislature.
- How did you manage to deal with the 25% tariff then?
We carried out a negotiation with the importer with whom we have been working since 2007 and we decided to assume half of the cost of the tariff ourselves and the other half was assumed by the importing company.
- How many liters does the winery produce and how many go to the United States?
Bodegas Bermejos produces up to 400,000 liters in abundant harvest years. In recent years, we have increased the percentage of liters that go to the United States to 20%.
- Could you withstand a tariff higher than 25%?
I would have to sit down with the importer there to see how far we could go. Right now the grapes are at historical highs, at 3.60 per kilo and we have had to update the rates.
- If the tariff were 200%, as Trump has hinted on occasion, I understand that it would be impossible to sell wine from Lanzarote in the United States...
It's going to be quite complicated, we're talking about tripling the price.
- Is there an alternative market to absorb those liters?
This year, given the scarcity of the last harvest, even the local market could absorb it, but we would see what happens in 2026 if we have an abundant harvest again.
In addition, the price of grapes is reaching quite high limits and it is costing us a bit to maintain exports.
- What economic value are we talking about?
20% of our production has an economic value of up to 250,000 euros.
- What do you think the European Union should do?
They are going to have to negotiate. There are many countries affected, not just Spain.
France and Italy sell many more liters of wine to the United States. Even Germany sells quite a bit of wine there.
Percentages by country of wine sales to the United States
According to Eurostat data, for 2024, Italy's percentage of the total value of EU wine exports to the US market reached 24.5%.
Next is France, with 20.7%, while third place goes to Greece, with 19.4%.
Spain occupied fourth place, since 11% of the liters that arrived in the United States from Europe were Spanish wines. Portugal accounted for 10.6% and Germany 9%.
Austria completes the table, with 8.2% of the Union's exports, and Hungary, which accounted for 1.7%.
