LWill the return of Donald Trump to the White House further devastate the Bordeaux vineyards? The re-election of the President of the United States in any case revives a very bad memory for a sector already hit by multiple crises. The implementation of a tax on French still wines of 25%, from autumn 2019 to spring 2021, had serious consequences on the Gironde wine economy. Bernard Farges, then president of the Bordeaux Interprofessional Wine Council (CIVB), estimated the shortfall at around a hundred million euros, to which must be added numerous market losses. These customs duties, in retaliation for trade conflicts far removed from grape growing, like the dispute between Airbus and Boeing, were suspended by the Biden administration until 2026. Nothing indicates that Trump's 2 don't bring them up again.
6,000 kilometers from the Port of the Moon, Washington plays a major role in the health of the Bordeaux vineyards. The United States, the most attractive market in the world for wine, remains the second destination for Gironde wines, both in value and volume, behind China. In twenty years, exports have increased by almost 30%. After reaching a record in 2021 following the suspension of Trump taxes (247,000 hectoliters exported), the number of shipments still remains high (more than 200,000 hectoliters last year) and flirts with the turnover achieved in China, with nearly 370 million euros valued in 2023. “This remains a mature market, made up of connoisseurs where wines are sold relatively expensive,” underlines Jean-Christophe Mau, at the helm of Château Brown (Pessac-Léognan), of which 20% of red wine crosses the Atlantic, particularly in Florida and New York.
Bordeaux grape varieties
As the “swing states” play a key role in the American election, around ten states prove essential to pull Bordeaux upwards, particularly the richest: in the east of the country, therefore, but also in California and Texas. In a latest market study, dating back to last spring, the Bordeaux wine inter-professional association pointed out its potential buyers, who were rather young and well-off, with a preference for Bordeaux grape varieties (merlot, cabernet sauvignon or sauvignon blanc). Among the threats she listed were the election year and “the possible return of a more protectionist policy.”
Here we are. In the event of a return of a customs duty, Régis Falxa expects a new explosion while the independent winegrowers, whose union he chairs at the departmental level, export at 70% and the American market remains first in terms of turnover. “What is infuriating is finding ourselves at the heart of a situation that we cannot control,” says the union representative, echoing the aeronautical dispute between Airbus and Boeing which ultimately weighed down French viticulture by several hundred millions of euros.
“Don’t let yourself be defeated”
As for the Union des grands crus de Bordeaux, President Ronan Laborde is not alarmed by the threat of a return of the tax to the United States. The best Girondin bottles are nevertheless popular there: it is their first market in volume and their second in value. “We are rather in a creative market, growing with proactive properties and well-structured traders,” says the owner of Château Clinet, in Pomerol. “In 2020, if the tax had slowed down our dynamic, it had in no way broken it. If it comes back, we must not let ourselves be defeated, we will have the means to fight. » The Union des grands crus is also organizing an American tour next January, to defend its 2022 vintage.
At Château Brown, in Léognan, Jean-Christophe Mau remembers how the Trump tax, between 2019 and 2021, had done “a lot of harm”. At home and around. “But we are not there yet, I think he will have other concerns,” he continues, while noting some good news: the conclusion of the American election has caused the dollar to jump. “The stronger the dollar, the less expensive Bordeaux wines are for American consumers,” smiles the operator. Which could boost sales. “The arrival of Trump can therefore be a good thing commercially,” he continues. If, of course, the dollar remains strong, and if taxation does not see the light of day. Which is a lot of ifs…”
