Your tariff questions about wine, answered

For years I ve had no trouble finding distinctive expressive wines that cost under a bottle I share these selections in a seasonal Under article But this sweet spot is disappearing Though President Donald Trump broadcasted a -day pause in enforcing retaliatory tariffs of on all imports from the European Union along with tariffs of up to on imports from other major wine-producing countries the percent universal tariff he imposed will make it harder to turn up fascinating wines in this price range Aside from the damage it will cause to the arrangement of small importers and distributors retailers and restaurants responsible for getting wine to American consumers along with the associated shipping and warehousing concerns the tariffs especially if the retaliatory penalties are imposed will limit the options of those consumers who lack ample amounts of disposable wealth Is wine going to cost more The tariffs will drive up the cost of imported wines By how much It depends on who absorbs the tariff penalty In selected cases each party in the chain from producer to consumer will accept a little pain and nobody will have to pay the full share But certain businesses can t or won t accept smaller profits so in chosen cases those extra costs may be passed entirely on to the consumer Regardless of how the tariff penalty is divvied up lower-priced wines are going to feel the impact more than expensive wines Why Because in general people who are willing to pay for a bottle of village Burgundy or for a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon will not care if the Burgundy costs and the Napa cabernet These prices are partly set by demand and are paid by wealthy consumers But value-conscious wine drinkers willing to buy an cava may balk at a cava When these wines become not such good values anymore demand will decline and they may fall out of circulation This will diminish the options available to consumers But I ll still find good affordable wines right For as long as I ve been making my under recommendations I ve argued that the to range offered the best quality-to-price ratio Tons of wines are in the sphere for less than and even But these are often processed wines made from grapes grown in vast chemically farmed vineyards in undesirable places then vinified in factories with additives and technological manipulations A great number of find these wines satisfying enough though demand for such wines has been falling for several years That s fine though I d rather drink beer or water than wines like that Have I ever discovered a decent wine at these low prices Sure but rarely The odds are against it These are the wines that because of the tariffs will now be in that to range How do tariffs affect American producers Isn t one goal of the tariffs to sponsorship American businesses The United States makes a large number of wonderful wines from the West Coast to the East Coast Texas to Michigan The cost of these wines is likely to rise as well First American winemakers rely on imported goods whether barrels bottles corks or winemaking equipment These costs will rise Second almost all American wines reach the marketplace through distributors who work with imported wines as well They may spread out the cost of the tariffs through their entire portfolio so that the imported segment does not have to rise as steeply But won t tariffs level the playing field For a large number of reasons including the cost of labor and land and the fact that European governments tend to invest in wine businesses while the American regime does not it s complex for American wines to compete with European wines of equivalent quality especially at lower prices The fixed costs of making wine in the United States are higher Tariffs may make it easier for American wines to compete but there s another bigger trouble Good wines are distinctive They speak of the place the grapes were grown and the people who made the wine You cannot absolutely substitute say a Sonoma chardonnay for a chardonnay wine made in Chablis or in Meursault A riesling made in Washington state will never have the character of one from the Mosel Valley of Germany How will wine selection be impacted Historic wine-producing countries often make wines of hundreds of different grapes a legacy of centuries past when the bulk wine was grown and consumed locally Each valley had its own grapes and its own style a multitude of of which have been revived over the past meager decades to the delight of wine lovers The modern American wine industry did not evolve in this fashion Its pioneers were entrepreneurs who sought to plant the grapes that they deemed the best in the world primarily cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay Their success with these grapes and a handful of others like merlot pinot noir sauvignon blanc and zinfandel led to hordes of imitators who planted the same set of grapes For years people concluded that eight varieties accounted for more than of California wines I don t think the percentage is quite that high anymore but you get the idea The variety of wines made in the United States is dwarfed by the vast assortment available from other countries If you ve enjoyed wines made with grapes like carricante limniona fer saperavi treixadura aglianico or touriga nacional you are unlikely to find American-made counterparts The tariffs may diminish specific of that glorious variety It s true that American producers in the past years have slowly been diversifying the wines they make The driving forces for this has been American producers who have been inspired by European wines they ve discovered If access to these wines is reduced you are less likely to see the continued exploration in the United States of grapes like trousseau and assyrtiko One crucial reason for this wide variety of imported wines is that unlike any other beverage businesses wine comprises hundreds of small producers around the globe These farmers and winemakers have often resisted efforts by bigger businesses to absorb their holdings or entreaties by marketing agencies to simplify their output or conform to popular styles They are able to stay in business because of the demand for what they offer A crucial percentage of their business is often in the United States Trump s tariffs will make it more formidable for multiple of these small businesses to survive just as they will squeeze a large number of of the small American businesses that import and distribute these wines We may see more consolidation in the wine growing and distribution businesses which will further diminish diversity Ultimately it s irrelevant whether I can pull together enough bottles to write the Under articles going forward The point is that these wines will no longer be available to anybody unless they are willing and able to spend more money per bottle The price of wine will never be a political talking point like the price of eggs has been Good wine is not a necessity but it enhances life For plenty of wine may no longer make the cut in their tariff-tightened household budgets Related Articles Bourbon-plumped currants enhance the flavor of hot cross buns for Easter Go inside the factory where Peeps are made Expect more fake eggs made of colored marshmallows or even potatoes on this year s Easter spread Effortless strategies to host an Easter feast without cooking a thing Recipe How to make delicious latkes with potatoes onion and eggs