Someone had better write a soap opera about BC wine soon because the reality of it is just so outlandish, the emotional pornography of soap opera dramas won’t be able to keep up or compete.
The trade war with the United States is only just ramping up as I write this. After all of the things that have happened to the wine industry in the Okanagan Valley (British Columbia’s largest wine region), a new problem is going to creep up in the next few months. If you recall, many wineries in the Okanagan imported grapes from Washington State to produce wine in 2024.
And now, that’s a little awkward. Although potentially less awkward than the upcoming Vancouver Wine Festival, where the theme country is the USA. Yikes. Perhaps this informed BC Premier David Eby’s decision to ban only products from “red” states and still allows California wines for the time being.
The trade dispute is still early stages, but already provincial liquor monopolies are being instructed to remove American products from the shelves and stop purchasing alcoholic products from the USA. If you aren’t in the wine industry, that is a pretty big deal. The LCBO in Ontario, the SAQ in Quebec, and the BCLDB are among the top purchasers of alcohol in the world. Stopping sales of these products will apparently hurt America, although how much will only become apparent later. Rick VanSickle has covered it with a great article that includes thoughts from producers in Ontario and has great ideas about what you can do to support this dispute. Chief among the suggestions is that consumers should choose to buy Canadian-only wine and liquors.
So what will happen when Okanagan wineries start to release wines that they’ve made using American grapes?
A hint about what is to come might be demonstrated in a social media post from a Vancouver Island winery that I saw recently. The post proclaimed that their new wine is made with 100% Vancouver Island grapes, and is completely free of American grapes. Is this going to be something that consumers ask when Okanagan wineries start releasing their 2024s?
As a smaller wine region, all non-Okanagan wineries have had some difficultly being heard or accepted in the same value category as the Okanagan. Ask a Vancouver somm or liquor store manager where “BC Wine” comes from and I’ll bet they will refer to the Okanagan first. Vancouver Island wines have been a harder sell. I understand why an advantage like this would be not be ignored.
At the same time, it’s hard not to see it as foreshadowing what consumers might ask wineries in BC when they make their purchases. It’s not like most people will know or care to ask. It’s more how they will react when they find out. Producers in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia won’t have to deal with this because their grapes will be assumed to be Canadian. Okanagan wineries would be good to get out in front of this sooner than later. I’ve seen some Okanagan wineries on social media trying to draw their brand to the Washington State vineyards with photos of their winemakers in vineyards. No doubt a lot of labels have already been printed. How obvious will it be that the wines are made with American grapes?
We, as consumers, should be aware of who we are supporting and be fully aware of who we might be damaging. Quick internet searches don’t reveal facts like they used to so assume that Google will not have your best Canadian interest at heart. Let’s not forget that most of the social media companies are American (and can be controlled to influence by the Algorithm Almighty) and who is in control now1. Choosing not to purchase a wine from a BC winery because they have used American grapes for one vintage so that they can stay in business is going to create collateral damage if we aren’t careful.
The only thing we can do as consumers is ask when we purchase. Hopefully the people we ask will know the answer and that wineries will be up front about it before consumers make their decision where to spend their money.
As for my own wine consumption, I have purchased so little American wine in the past decade that I can’t even recall what the last bottle I bought. As a wine writer, I have chosen to focus on Canadian wine because it is where I live and where I work. I have purchased wines from elsewhere, but rarely is that ever American wine for some reason.
If California is your go-to wine section in the liquor store, maybe use this opportunity to branch out and try something new. I know that if you are reading this, you are probably already very interested in Canadian wine, so that last statement likely won’t apply to you. I still think that exploring is the best part of enjoying wine. Hopefully, this spat will play itself out and we will all be able to continue exploring wine again without having to question or justify it to anyone.
Update
Things move fast these days. Tariffs are now on hold. Now he gets more attention in the headlines. See how this game works?
If you want to learn how important Canada is to the American liquor industry, this article from Wine Spectator is a good start.
Toasts Not Tariffs is an industry association to help influence policy.
The 2020 US election was apparently filled with fraud but in 2024, it was somehow not as important as soon as the Republicans started to win. If you still believe that social media is a benign communication tool for political discourse, you may be part of the problem.