The Wine Origins Alliance, which is made up of 28 organisations from 11 countries, including Australia, has written to the US Government urging it not to impose tariffs on wine.
The United States has engaged on a trade war imposing tariffs on imports, which has impacted the spirits industry, and while to date wine has escaped it is believed that the US is considering including it.
In a letter to the US Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the WOA said: “Instead of putting tariffs on unrelated products, like wine and sparkling wine, the US and EU should increase their efforts to resolve these serious trade-related problems between them so the unrelated trade in wine products is not unintentionally harmed.
“Wine is a sustainable product which promotes the economic, social and environmental well-being of people and the planet, now and in the future. Wine promotes peace and prosperity given its historical role in bringing nations together in commemorative moments of international understanding.
“We urge you to work to reduce or eliminate all barriers to trade in wine, and to exclude wine and sparkling wine products from your tariff countermeasures list. Promoting wine exports by removing trade barriers is critical to driving industry growth and creating new industry jobs.”
The Wine Origins Alliance represents nearly 80,000 wineries and grape growers from around the world, that have generated more than 900,000 jobs and more than US$8bn in global wine exports.