Even as smoke from wildfires in western Canada obscured the outlines of his vineyards, nothing dampened the optimism of Charles-Henri de Coussergues, a winemaker originally from Avignon, France. He has been established in Canada for nearly half a century. “It’s really been a wonderful year so far,” he said, gazing out over his estate in Dunham, southern Quebec, just 15 kilometers from the US border.
Since March, his sales have surged, with increases ranging from 5% to 35% depending on the bottle. This upswing has been one of the side effects of the trade war waged by US President Donald Trump, who has imposed a series of tariffs on Canada. On March 4, in retaliation for a 25% US tax on Canadian products imported to the United States, most Canadian wine and spirits stores – including those of the government-owned corporation Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) – pulled American bottles. The empty shelves were partially restocked with Canadian products.
Since then, from east to west, Canadian wines have ridden a wave of patriotic buying that shows no sign of slowing. The Conseil des vins du Québec estimated that sales of Quebec wines at the SAQ went up by 63% between March 1 and May 20. Producers in neighboring Ontario also saw sales jump by nearly 40% compared to 2024. And in the West, home to some of the country’s most renowned wines, including whites from the Okanagan Valley, Jeff Guignard, CEO of the association Wine Growers British Columbia, has observed a similar trend: “Sales are increasing, and since our harvests were not abundant in 2024, particularly due to forest fires and frost, our stocks are not unlimited… But demand is strong! We are happy about that!”
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