France’s beloved cultural exports, notably champagne and perfume, saw a sharp decline in shipments to the U.S. as the year wrapped up, heavily influenced by President Trump’s tariffs and the softening of the dollar.
In the last quarter of 2025, spirits shipments plummeted by 47 percent compared to the previous year. Wine exports dropped by 39 percent, while perfumes and cosmetics experienced a significant decline of 25 percent, according to statistics from French customs.
One contributing factor to this downturn was the preemptive surge in exports earlier in the year, motivated by anticipation of the tariffs. However, trade figures from late 2025 remained considerably lower than those of similar periods in prior years, the customs report noted.
Interestingly, the annual commerce report indicated that while wine exports to other global markets remained strong, the decrease in spirits sales to the U.S. was more pronounced.
A significant portion of this decline is attributed to a drop in prices for the American market, with the cost of champagne sent to the U.S. dipping by 20 percent year-on-year during the latter half of 2025.
The back-and-forth over tariffs has made French wine and champagne a focal point in trade disputes, especially after Trump’s proposal of a hefty 200 percent levy last month. Nicolas Forissier, the French trade minister, stated that such threats are intolerable and would provoke a response from Europe.
