What Trump’s Alcohol Tariffs Could Mean for Your Wine Drinking Experiences

Concerns beyond the price hikes

Photo by Suzi Kim on Unsplash

I don’t need to tell you what tariffs will do to the cost of imported wine in America. Anyone who took a single math class can work that one out.

I also don’t need to tell you that there are arguably more important tariffs to worry about. Foodstuffs is one. Clothing is another. Things needed for the most basic of living requirements.

But because I work in the industry, I’m especially sorry for what tariffs mean for wine. Drinking it. Making it. And most importantly, experiencing it.

Because wine tariffs speak to something bigger than a higher price tag on your weekly Cabernet Sauvignon. It speaks to the heart of what wine really is. Not just a commodity to lubricate your Friday nights, but something that connects humans around the world. Something with links to agriculture, history, culture and people.

A window to the outside world. One that really shouldn’t be sealed shut.

First thing first — tariffs won’t only affect imported wines

When Trump wrote that an alcohol tariff will be “great for the wine and Champagne businesses in the US” he made a big assumption. That people…