The same bottle can land tax-free in Hong Kong, pay a tenth more in the United States and nearly double in Ontario. Here is what each border adds, and why.

The example is one 75 cl bottle at 13% alcohol, worth €20 when it reaches the border before any tax. Each country’s taxes are added in the order it applies them, using the published rates; taxes charged by the litre are turned into euros at a rough rate. Shop margins are not included.

What the border adds to a €20 bottle

Canadaany bottle

+91%≈ €18.18 added · lands at €38.18
- Federal excise duty73 cents a litre since April 2025, so 55 cents a bottle€0.35
- Provincial liquor board mark-upOntario’s LCBO adds 66% to the cost of imported wine from April 2026; other provinces have their own rates€13.43
- Sales taxGST or HST, 5% to 15% by province; 13% HST in Ontario taken here€4.39
The federal tax is small. What makes wine dear in Canada is the provincial board’s mark-up, which can add two-thirds to the landed cost before sales tax. In most provinces the government board is also the main shop, so its mark-up is the biggest line and varies by province.

Canada Revenue Agency, EDN100: excise duty rates on spirits and wine from 1 April 2025 · LCBO, wholesale pricing and other pricing updates, 1 April 2026 · 2026
Australiaany imported bottle

+49%≈ €9.80 added · lands at €29.80
- Customs duty5% of the value€1.00
- Wine equalisation tax29% of the wholesale value€6.09
- GST10% on top of everything€2.71
Australia taxes wine on its value rather than its strength, so the dearer the bottle the more tax it carries. The three layers roughly add half again to the border price.

Australian Taxation Office, wine equalisation tax · Australian Border Force, wine equalisation tax on imports · 2025
Chinaa bottle from the EU

+43%≈ €8.63 added · lands at €28.63
- Import duty14% of the value for countries without a trade deal€2.80
- Consumption tax10%, charged on the duty-paid value€2.53
- VAT13% on top of both€3.29
Three taxes stack, so French wine pays about 43% at the border while Chilean wine of the same price pays about 26%. That gap decides what Chinese shelves carry. Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Georgia and, since May 2026, South Africa pay no import duty under their trade deals, so their wine lands at about 26% all told.

China Briefing, Exporting wine to China in 2026 · 2026
United Kingdomany bottle

+40%≈ €8.07 added · lands at €28.07
- Alcohol duty£29.54 a litre of pure alcohol since 1 February 2025; at 13% that is £2.88 a bottle€3.39
- VAT20% on the price including the duty€4.68
Britain taxes by strength: a 14.5% red pays more than an 11% white. The flat rate wine used to enjoy ended in February 2025.

House of Commons Library, What will happen to the tax on wine from 1 February 2025? · 2025
France (EU)a bottle from outside the EU

+21%≈ €4.15 added · lands at €24.15
- EU customs duty€13.10 a hectolitre on bottled wine from outside the EU, about 10 cents a bottle€0.10
- French excise€4.12 a hectolitre in 2025, about 3 cents a bottle€0.03
- VAT20% on the price including the duties€4.03
Europe makes most of the world’s wine and taxes it lightly at the border. Nearly all of what the border adds is VAT. Wine moving between EU countries pays no customs duty, only the destination country’s excise and VAT. Germany, Italy and Spain charge no excise on still wine; Ireland charges several euros a bottle.

EU customs tariff, CN 2204 21: €13.1 a hectolitre · Droits d’accise 2025 for still wine, €4.12/hl (Eurotax summary of the French customs tariff) · European Commission, excise duties on alcohol · 2025
Japana bottle from the EU or the US

+12%≈ €2.50 added · lands at €22.50
- Import dutyNothing for EU wine (trade agreement) or US wine (since April 2025); otherwise 15% or ¥125 a litre, whichever is lower—
- Liquor tax¥100 a litre, so ¥75 a bottle€0.45
- Consumption tax10%€2.05
Japan taxes wine by the litre, not by the price, so a great bottle pays the same ¥75 as a cheap one. Duty-free entry for European and American wine is recent.

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Update to Japan’s Liquor Tax (2025) · Japan Customs, importation of alcoholic beverages · 2025
United Statesa bottle from the EU

+11%≈ €2.24 added · lands at €22.24
- Basic duty6.3 cents a litre€0.04
- Additional duty on EU wine10% of the value, since July 2026€2.00
- Federal excise$1.07 a gallon, about 21 cents a bottle€0.19
The 10% extra duty is the piece that changes: it was added in July 2026 and sits on top of a basic rate that has been pennies for decades. State sales tax and any state alcohol tax come on top and differ from state to state.

US wine tariff tracker on this site, verified from USITC, Federal Register and CBP sources · TTB, tax rates for wine (14% alcohol and under: $1.07 a gallon) · 2026
Hong Kongany bottle

+0%≈ €0.00 added · lands at €20.00
- DutyNothing: Hong Kong abolished its wine duty in 2008—
Zero duty is why Hong Kong became Asia’s wine auction capital: a case can land, be sold and leave again without the taxman taking a share. No sales tax either.

Vino Joy News, How much are wine taxes in Asia? A country-by-country breakdown (2024) · 2024

Rough rates used for the per-litre taxes: one euro to $1.1, £0.85, ¥165, C$1.55, A$1.65.

Why

Three ways to tax a bottle

By its value

A percentage of what the bottle is worth. China, Australia and the new US duties work this way, so a dear bottle pays far more than a cheap one, and the tax rises with every mark-up along the way.

By its strength

So much per litre of pure alcohol. Britain does this, so a 14.5% red pays a third more than an 11% white, and the price of the wine makes no difference.

By the litre

A fixed sum per litre of wine, whatever is in it. Japan, Canada’s federal duty and the basic US rate work this way: a few cents or yen a bottle, the same for a grand cru and a bag-in-box.

The US tariffs, kept up to date

The American duties have changed several times since 2025 and are tracked line by line, with every change and its official source.

US tariff tracker