Here We Go Again: Wine Tariffs :(
ugh ugh ugh
I will be honest, I have really struggled with how to write about the wine tariffs of 2025. After all, I've been through this once before in 2019/20 when I was in a much more precarious position (managing a bottle shop with a heavy European inventory). But that time the call to action felt very real and doable. We were not in the midst of a tidal wave of various tariffs as we are now, and we were certainly not in the midst of the dissolution of so many government jobs, funding, etc.
So in 2019/20, I did all the things…I arranged to have the above photo taken with other Charleston wine retailers. I wrote letters and called officials. I even went to Washington on my own dime! But right now I feel overwhelmed, and I know I am not alone.
So I decided to look up what I wrote in December of 2019 (the benefits of having written a newsletter for 8 years!). And yes, it still rings true today. Some of you will recognize snippets of this I included in my memoir writing here on Substack, but I still think it’s worth sharing again!
December 2019:
I have always said that I loved France before I loved wine. I vividly remember my high school trip to France with our wonderful French teacher. I remember thinking...I’ve found my place! We ate whole fried sardines and crepes and visited Monet’s garden.
Not long after this I came across the memoir A Year in Provence on my grandmother’s book shelf. It’s quite the romantic, postcard-picture-perfect take on becoming an expat in southern France. I was SOLD!
I double majored in French and journalism, and I imagined I would become a foreign correspondent. Then I fell in love with food and restaurants, and here I am today -- managing a wine shop/bar and thinking about wine most hours of the day.
Studying wine and finding a job in this field truly brought all my old loves together: France, writing, learning… Most of us that fall for wine fall for the story behind the wines just as much as the smell and taste. And most of this story comes from Europe.
Taking the time to learn all of the Old World (aka European) wine regions is THE best armchair travel. You study mountains and rivers and food customs. You really get a sense of the place and the people and develop an appreciation for somewhere beyond your corner of the world.
And these Old World wines are the foundation for their New World counterparts. Many New World winemakers seek apprenticeships in Europe before starting their own projects. And almost every interview with these New World folks will contain some bit on tasting Old World gems. These wines are the standard bearers even for those winemakers going off in less traditional directions.
Simply put, we would be lost without Old World wines in our markets. We would lose knowledge and jobs and a certain magic.
Back to present day:
In present times, it’s not just European wine that’s being tariffed but rather all imported wine. So it’s an even bigger issue, but my points still remain the same. For any true wine nerd their journey includes the ENTIRE world of wine so to impede entry into all regions outside of the United States is detrimental. Furthermore, it is detrimental to wine jobs here in the United States.
I honestly feel the best we can do regarding this particular tariff is speak out with our purchases. So please join me in supporting SMALL retailers and wine bars who support small producers. Where you spend your money now matters more than ever – helping these small American businesses get through another uncertain time of nightmare tariffing. Yes, I know it’s easy to simply buy your wine at the grocery, but please consider a trip to your local wine shop/bar. I promise that it will be more enjoyable, and you will be truly making a difference.
And as always thank you for reading!
P.S. If you are in my wine club (which is largely focused on European wines), it is business as usual for now. But yes, I will be holding my breath for a bit – hoping that this does not prove its demise. Thank you for your support!
P.P.S. There have been much more in depth articles written about this issue and tackling all the questions – like why not just turn solely to American wine? Beyond my romantic notions above, the short answer is that financially this just does not work for a variety of very real reasons. But please go read this article by Eric Asimov of The New York Times to get a better grasp on the subject.
P.P.P.S. Make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter as I definitely plan on having my late spring/summer wine class schedule out soon – it’s a deep dive into Italy! For now, my newsletter is free and you can find all the content by clicking here – basically a little Grape to Table website created by the great folks at Substack. I did realize recently that you only see the various categories of past newsletters if you open this link in a browser (rather than the Substack app). It’s a shame because the categories make it easy to find content you might be interested in…so here are some more embedded links! Click here for Wine Tips. Click here for Recipes. Click here for Q & As. As always I really appreciate when you hit the like button as it helps get the content in front of more people :) and spread the joy of wine and food.
Sarah, you've written and described this insane situation extremely well. Bravo!