US sanctions leave bitter taste on French wine growers’ palates

POMMARD (France), Oct 06 (AFP): For French winegrowers in the Burgundy region, the new 25-percent US tariffs are leaving a bitter taste on the palate.

But like it or not, they are caught up in a trade war they feel has nothing to do with them.

"This is a thoroughly unfair tax, because it compensates for a dispute relating to the aeronautical, not the wine sector," says winegrower Anne Parent.

She works at Pommard, based in the Cote de Beaune region of Burgundy. A quarter of their turnover is exported to the United States.

The tariffs hitting the wine industry threaten make it part of the collateral damage in President Trump's trade war as Washington targets EU nations behind the Airbus consortium -- notably France -- over aircraft subsidies. Down in the cellars of the estate, which Parent runs with her sister, a 2019 vintage she judges "absolutely superb" is being put into barrels. In a room upstairs, boxes of Pommard Premier Cru 2017 are being prepared for US export.