ViniPortugal was one of the associations that met with the government at a meeting to assess the impact of the US tariff policy and the agreement signed with Brussels.

The 15% tariff could be very damaging, as it "could imply a 30% increase for consumers," said ViniPortugal president Frederico Falcão in a statement to Lusa.

If confirmed, the lower-end segments will be the most affected, and consumption is expected to decline.

Frederico Falcão also stated that the European Union (EU) is at a disadvantage compared to countries like Chile and Argentina, which received a 10% tariff.

On the other hand, he pointed out, there is a risk that many importers will force producers to lower wine prices to reduce the impact of the tariff policy.

"Lowering prices by 15% is not easy, and our producers often don't have that margin," he emphasized.

Still, he assured that the sector can now achieve some stability, as the US administration has been discussing tariffs of varying magnitude since March.

On the other hand, he said that negotiation meetings are still taking place with some sectors, thus maintaining hope that wine could be taxed at 0%.

The government, through the Ministries of Economy and Agriculture, met with more than 40 associations and confederations of export sectors.

Quoted in a statement, the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Castro Almeida, argued that these meetings are important to listen to key sectors and assess how they are "absorbing the measures designed to respond to the impact of tariffs on Portuguese products."

In April, the government approved the Reforçar program, a package worth over €10 billion, which includes measures such as credit lines and bank guarantees to support national companies facing the impact of tariffs.

ViniPortugal noted that many measures, when implemented on the ground, are ineffective due to excessive bureaucracy.

"What we really need is for the negotiations to end with zero tariffs. If that doesn't happen, we will have to continue working to find solutions," concluded Frederico Falcão.