The annual uncorking of the world-renowned Beaujolais Nouveau

But new tariffs from the U.S on French winemakers

left something of a sour taste for producers gathered in the city of Lyon.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) WINEMAKER, JEAN-BAPTISTE DUPERRAY, SAYING:

"It is for the coming years that we are worried, because the tax arrived suddenly, so, this is a very substantial tax that can't necessarily be passed on to the consumer in the U.S."

The annual tradition came a month after the Trump administration slapped a 25% tariff on French winemakers.

Leaving many looking for ways to keep a presence in the American market

(SOUNDBITE) (French) WINEMAKER, AYMERIC MELINAND, SAYING:

"We must not lose our image in the U.S., we need to try and maintain it and I think the best thing to do is to go there, meet the potential consumer and to have a talk with them and say that we are here."

The U.S. imported over 13,000 hectolitres of Beaujolais in 2018 - 15 percent of the young wine's exports.

The Vice President of the Inter Beaujolais Association, David Ratignier, told Reuters that the longer term impact on the wine remains unknown.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE INTER BEAUJOLAIS ASSOCIATION, DAVID RATIGNIER, SAYING:

"We have designations, like the Beaujolais Village that have a huge presence in the United States, in significant quantities and if these taxes have a real impact on our markets in the US, or penalise us financially, we could lose some business."

The tariffs also impact Scotch whisky, cheese and olives from across continental Europe - a punishment greenlit by the WTO for aircraft subsidies it deems illegal.

European-made Airbus planes have been hit with a 10 percent tax.

In total, the tariffs affect more than 7 billion dollars worth of EU goods.

Asked why Beaujolais Nouveau was not impacted by the tax so far

Ratignier said U.S. dealers and merchants had decided to absorb the higher tariff themselves

so consumers can buy a bottle at an unchanged price - usually between $10 and $15.