Lisbon, Aug. 13, 2025 (Lusa) - The promoter of the 'Wines of Portugal' brand, ViniPortugal, has warned that consumers could face a 30% increase in the price of wine as a result of the 15% tariff imposed by the US.
ViniPortugal was one of the associations received by the Government at a meeting on Tuesday to assess the impact of the US tariff policy and the agreement reached with Brussels.
The 15% tariff could be very damaging, as it "could mean a 30% increase for consumers," said ViniPortugal president Frederico Falcão in statements to Lusa.
If confirmed, the lowest segments will be the most penalised, with a reduction in consumption expected.
Frederico Falcão also said that the European Union (EU) is at a disadvantage compared to countries such as Chile and Argentina, which received a 10% tariff.
On the other hand, he pointed out that there is a risk that many importers will force producers to lower the price of wine in order to reduce the impact of the tariff policy.
"Lowering prices by 15% is not easy and, often, our producers do not have that margin," he pointed out.
Even so, he assured that the sector is now able to achieve some stability, since, since March, the US administration has been talking about tariffs of various magnitudes.
On the other hand, he said that negotiation meetings are still ongoing with some sectors, thus maintaining the hope that wine may be taxed at 0%.
The Government, through the ministries of the economy and agriculture, met with more than 40 associations and confederations from the export sectors.
Quoted in a statement, the Minister of the Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Castro Almeida, argued that these meetings are important to listen to the main sectors and assess how "they are absorbing the measures that have been designed to respond to the impact of tariffs on Portuguese products".
In April, the Government approved the Reforçar programme, a package of more than €10 billion, which includes measures such as credit lines and bank guarantees to support Portuguese companies facing the impact of tariffs.
ViniPortugal pointed out that many measures, when implemented on the ground, are not effective due to excessive bureaucracy.
"What we really need is for the negotiations to end with zero tariffs. If this does not happen, we will have to continue working to find solutions," concluded Frederico Falcão.
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Lusa
