Marie-Guite Dufay, President of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France's leading wine region, on Thursday offered US President Joe Biden two bottles of Burgundy wine in the hope of convincing him to lift the surcharge on wines and spirits French.
In a letter to the new President of the United States, Ms. Dufay calls for the lifting of "
Trump taxes
" which "
penalize
" winegrowers in the region.
Read also: French wines and spirits: a new round of US taxes goes into effect on Tuesday
As a token of Franco-American friendship, she also offers Joe Biden a bottle of the very famous Côte de Beaune and another of white wine made from the Chardonnay grape, emblematic of the best Burgundy wines.
The president of the region also invites Joe Biden to participate in the next Hospices de Beaune wine sale, the oldest charitable wine auction in the world which traditionally takes place on the third Sunday in November.
“
France's leading wine-growing region, the wines of Burgundy and Jura have been subject to a 25% tax on their commercial value since October 2019 when they arrive on American soil
,” writes Ms. Dufay.
“
This measure puts the winegrowers and winegrowers in my area in difficulty.
The United States is the leading export market for Burgundy wines and the shortfall is already estimated at over 33 million euros,
”she emphasizes.
“
It is therefore necessary to resume negotiations with the European Union in order to re-establish balanced and peaceful relations.
This “lose-lose” conflict must find a positive outcome in order to facilitate access to Burgundy and Jura wines to American consumers.
As a pledge of this newfound confidence, I am offering you, on behalf of all Burgundians-Francs-Comtois, two bottles of wine,
”adds the president.
Since the fall of 2019, the US administration has overtaxed French wines as part of an old dispute with the EU over public aid to Airbus and Boeing.
A second round of tariffs went into effect on January 12.
It extends the types of wine concerned (champagne is still spared) and includes cognacs.
