Some Ontario wineries say bring back U.S. wines, if it eases tariffs

Wineries in both Ontario and the U.S. say they would welcome having American wines back on the shelves if it would help ease the trade war between Canada and the U.S.

“We get caught in these trade disputes that don’t really involve us,” Michael Kaiser, executive director of Wine America, told Global News.

Canadian provinces and territories began pulling American alcohol from their shelves in March 2025 as a retaliatory effort to the 25 per cent tariffs U.S. Donald Trump slapped on Canadian goods.

But as the deadline looms for a fresh round of 50 per cent tariffs , which Trump says are a response to “discriminatory” measures by Canada, some political leaders are considering making new space on liquor store shelves.

Earlier this week, Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said she would be open to allowing U.S. wines back on the shelves if there are gains on the trade front, including reductions in tariff barriers for key sectors such as forestry, aluminum, and manufacturing.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney faces the August 19 tariff deadline, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Carney, saying he has already “backed down” to many of Trump’s demands, including splitting of net revenues from the Gordie Howe Bridge.

Poilievre urged Carney not to give any more concessions to the U.S., including pushing provinces and territories to put American booze back on store shelves .

Norman Beal, president of the Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery in Ontario, told Global News that if putting U.S. products back on the shelf would ease tariffs on other key sectors, that’s a price he’s willing to pay.

“As much as it’s being a benefit to us, the damage to our overall economy is much worse,” he said.

Approximately two in five Canadian exporters say they currently export a product to the U.S. that would fall under the pending tariffs, according to a survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Of those, more than three-quarters said they expect to lose revenue if the tariffs go ahead, with 35 per cent saying they stand to lose at least half of their revenues.

Eliminating U.S. products from liquor stores has also been a huge loss for American producers.

Kaiser, from Wine America, told Global News that Canada is the largest market for American wines outside of the U.S., especially for states like California, Oregon and Washington.

“We haven’t fully tabulated the numbers, but there’s millions in lost sales,” he said.