Americans Keep Buying Italian Wine Despite Higher Prices

American consumers are still buying Italian wine even as tariffs and broader inflation pressures have pushed up costs, offering a measure of support to one of Italy’s most important export categories at a time when shipments to the United States have fallen sharply.

Data cited by WineNews from Italy’s Istat statistics agency show Italian wine exports to the U.S. fell 9.1% in 2025 from 2024, to €1.75 billion. The decline deepened in the first quarter of 2026, when exports dropped 20.5% from the same period a year earlier, to €407 million. Even so, a survey of 1,200 U.S. wine consumers conducted by Nomisma for Federvini found that fewer than 10% of buyers replaced Italian products despite price increases linked to tariffs.

The figures point to a market under pressure but not in retreat. For beverage producers, importers and distributors, that matters because it suggests demand for imported wine can remain relatively resilient even when household budgets tighten, though consumers may trade down, wait for promotions or shift to lower-priced labels rather than leave the category altogether.

The broader U.S. economic backdrop has been difficult. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data analyzed by the American Association of Wine Economists and cited by WineNews, fuel prices in May were 40% higher than in May 2025. Prices for other goods, including tomatoes, airline tickets, electronics and meat, rose in a range of 10% to 32%. Against that backdrop, wine prices were comparatively stable: up 1.9% in on-premise consumption and down 0.5% for purchases intended for home consumption.

That relative stability did not translate into a major improvement in the U.S. wine trade balance. Compared with 2024, U.S. wine imports fell 8.3% to €6.2 billion, while exports dropped 33.5%, largely because of retaliatory measures taken by Canada against U.S. tariffs, according to the report cited by WineNews. The U.S. wine trade deficit narrowed only 2.5%, to $5.36 billion.

The Nomisma survey suggests Italian wine retains a strong position with American drinkers. Among respondents, 68% said they consume wine. Daily consumption was limited to 5%, while about 40% said they drink either once a week or two to three times a month. U.S.-made wine remained the most commonly chosen origin at 62% in multiple responses, but Italy ranked second overall and first among foreign countries at 40%.

Italy also scored strongly on perception. Respondents identified it as the foreign country that offers the greatest guarantee of quality both in food at 59% and in beverages more broadly at 39%. When consumers were asked what drives their wine purchases in general, the leading factor was winery brand reputation and recognition at 42%, followed by low price or promotions at 37%. That share rose to 49% among people with monthly incomes below $2,000. Recommendations and word of mouth followed at 34%, then domestic origin at 32%, grape variety at 31%, packaging at 22% and foreign origin at 22%.

Italian wine itself was associated with high quality by 47% of respondents, a distinctive taste by 31% and Italian tradition and culture by 27%. At the same time, high price was cited as the main obstacle to buying Italian labels by 40%.

Many consumers said they had noticed those higher prices. More than one in four reported bottle price increases above 20%, while about half said increases were more moderate, below 20%. Still, purchasing behavior showed persistence rather than abandonment. Some 28% said they had continued buying Italian wine as before. Another 43% said they had kept buying the same quantities while looking for deals or cheaper products. A further 21% said they had reduced purchases somewhat but had not replaced Italian wine with other products.

Among the 12% of respondents who said they had not noticed any price increase, loyalty also appeared firm. If bottle prices were to rise by 20%, 38% said they would continue buying as they do now, while 23% said they would keep purchasing the same number of bottles but would look for promotions or less expensive options.

Albiera Antinori, head of Marchesi Antinori and Federvini’s wine group, told WineNews that the slowdown in U.S. wine consumption cannot be explained by tariffs alone. She pointed instead to a wider set of pressures including geopolitical tensions and structural issues in the American market. She said tariffs arrived during an already weak period and accelerated an existing crisis.

Antinori also pointed to the costs built into the U.S. three-tier distribution system, which requires imported wine to pass through several commercial steps before reaching store shelves or restaurant lists. That structure raises final prices, she said, while creating jobs but not necessarily adding value.

Her comments also reflected changes on the demand side. She said American consumers are evolving in ways seen beyond the U.S., seeking wines that are more elegant, lower in alcohol and better suited to newer styles of cuisine. In her view, those preferences may favor Italy because many Italian wines already fit that profile more naturally than some competing products.

That shift could become increasingly important if today’s market pressures ease but consumer habits do not return fully to earlier patterns. The U.S. remains an essential market for Italian wine not only because of its size but because American buyers appear willing to absorb some price increases without giving up on Italian labels altogether. For exporters across the beverage sector, that is a sign that brand identity and country-of-origin reputation can still carry weight even when tariffs, inflation and weaker consumer confidence reshape how people shop.