U.S. booze boycott becomes a much-needed boon for B.C. wineries

Kyle Bakx · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Canada's agreed boycott of U.S. booze could effect successful a banner twelvemonth for British Columbia's vino industry, portion besides delivering a fiscal stroke to vineyards southbound of the border.

The Buy Canadian question is expected to boost request for B.C. vino and immoderate different types of homegrown liquor arsenic the lack of U.S. merchandise means more space astatine retail stores and connected edifice menus. The magnitude of visitors to vineyards could besides emergence arsenic galore Canadians steer wide of the U.S. this summer.

It's a crisp alteration of luck for B.C. wineries aft 2 years of dismal crops, including a acold drawback successful aboriginal 2024 that wiped retired astir each of the grapes. 

The summertime tourism play has yet to begin, but determination are aboriginal signs of some accrued visitors and income astatine Poplar Grove Winery successful Penticton, B.C.

"I'm excited, archetypal of all, and very, precise optimistic," said co-owner Tony Holler, successful an interrogation with CBC News, arsenic helium walked done the rows of vines arsenic portion of the 65-hectare operation.

"Everything looks really, truly bully present successful the Okanagan."

He notes that this summertime is simply a unsocial accidental for winemakers successful the state due to the fact that of the accrued request and vulnerability for their product.

"A batch of radical who've ne'er tasted our wine, erstwhile they sensation them, I'm telling you, they're going to support buying them," said Holler.

Canadian provinces began removing U.S. liquor from store shelves successful aboriginal March successful effect to U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized policy, which experts accidental could wounded Canada's system and pb to occupation losses. 

Buy Canadian question opening doors

Trump has made a fig of remarks astir making Canada the 51st authorities and introduced a 25 per cent tariff connected the importing of Canadian goods, though immoderate exemptions person since been made.

Several provinces are looking to boost interprovincial commercialized successful the look of looming U.S. tariffs, which could pb to much B.C. wines connected store shelves crossed the country.

Since B.C. struck a direct-to-consumer vino merchantability programme with Alberta successful aboriginal January, implicit 43,200 bottles person been sold from 89 B.C. wineries, according to B.C. furniture curate Garry Begg.

"A batch of user sentiment surely seems to beryllium shifting and saying 'I don't privation U.S. wines.' So I deliberation it opens up a batch of doors for the Canadian vino industry," said Paul Sawler, the committee seat of Wine Growers British Columbia.

Large edifice chains are requesting much product, said Sawler, who besides works arsenic manager of income astatine Dirty Laundry Vineyards successful Summerland, B.C. So far, helium says, visitors to the vineyard are up 40 per cent compared to past year. 

Tough stroke for U.S. winemakers

South of the border, it's a distressing concern arsenic Canada is the largest export marketplace for the U.S. vino industry, with a retail worth of astir $1.1 cardinal US annually. 

"It has been a large interaction to our business," said Joan Kautz, caput of planetary income astatine Ironstone Vineyard, a 2,500-hectare tract successful Lodi, Calif.

According to Kautz, Canada represents astir 20 per cent of the vineyard's exports and astir 10 per cent of its wide sales. Since aboriginal March, she says orders person been cancelled and galore of its bottles are stuck successful warehouses successful Ontario, Quebec and respective different provinces.

"It's frustrating. We'd emotion to person it backmost retired connected the shelves," said Kautz.

"Canada is simply a precise important marketplace to america successful each aspects. We've spent the past 30 years gathering the marketplace and we person tremendous partners successful the marketplace who are precise supportive of us. And we each conscionable privation to get backmost to business."

The timing couldn't beryllium worse for the U.S. industry, which insiders accidental is already suffering from decreasing income post-pandemic and a slowdown successful visits to immoderate wineries.

Even aft the Canadian boycott is yet resolved, immoderate U.S. industry leaders are acrophobic astir the semipermanent interaction due to the fact that of the intelligence harm to the consumer. 

Kautz tin lone hold and anticipation the quality is cleared up soon.

"I mean, we're neighbours and partners," she said. "Over time, radical volition travel backmost to California wines due to the fact that the prime is fantastic."

In B.C., producers person said the wineries with the worst harm from the utmost acold successful 2024 whitethorn request astatine slightest 3 years for their harvest to afloat recover.

Last year, galore wineries, including Poplar Grove, imported grapes from Washington authorities successful bid to maintain their operations. This impermanent accommodation resulted successful the accumulation of varieties that were labelled "crafted successful B.C." successful the involvement of transparency. 

Holler expects Poplar Grove volition turn capable grapes this twelvemonth to debar needing to import any fruit.

"Our gut feeling is that we should person two-thirds of a crop, and past astir apt adjacent twelvemonth we get a spot bigger harvest and the pursuing twelvemonth backmost to a afloat crop," helium said.

"Wineries person wine. Nobody's tally retired of wine."