‘Not sure that Trump fully understands the concept of champagne.’
President Donald Trump is getting mocked by critics after declaring that new tariffs on imported champagne will be great for “Champagne businesses in the U.S.”
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Pedantic wine snobs were quick to note that only sparkling wines produced from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France are supposed to be labeled champagne.
“The European Union, one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World, which was formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States, has just put a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky,” Trump decried on Truth Social Thursday morning.
“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” he continued. “This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.”
Technically, since the U.S. never signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which contained a clause protecting the use of the term “champagne,” some California wine producers can use the term—provided they were producing champagne before 2006, after which the U.S. and the EU reached a wine trade agreement restricting the term’s usage.
Few California wineries have opted to use the term champagne, however.
That loophole doesn’t change the fact that the Champagne industry is squarely in France (and many critics will readily argue that California “Champagne” isn’t real champagne anyway). So, it didn’t take long for Trump’s post to get mocked on social media.
“I’m not sure that Trump fully understands the concept of champagne and why it’s called that way to be honest,” quipped one person on X.
“Trump is wrong. Champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France. The American version is called ‘sparkling freedom,’” joked someone else.
“pissing off the midwestern wine moms AND the french (there is no champagne business in the US bc it’s not champagne unless its from the champagne region of france etc), masterful gambit mr trump,” added another critic.
Joked one commenter: “But I was told champagne came from the champagne region of Illinois.”
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