LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If your favorite bottle of wine is costing more lately, tariffs may be partly to blame.
Imported goods are being hit with steep tariffs, and those costs are spilling over into the wine industry. It’s not just European brands feeling the pressure. Even local wineries here in Southern Nevada are starting to see the impact.
Shakeria Hawkins spoke to a local winemaker to learn how these tariffs are affecting his business.
“It’s gone overboard,” said one customer at Total Wine. “There’s already inflation, and some people can’t even put food on the table.”
The U.S. imports about 37% of its wine, and more than 70% of that comes from Europe, according to Forbes.
At Vegas Valley Winery in Henderson, winemaker and co-owner Mike Schoenbaechler says he’s starting to see the effect in his day-to-day operations.
“I just received a bill this morning that actually showed an import charge from a vendor that’s never done it before,” Schoenbaechler told Good Morning Las Vegas.
While the grapes for his boutique red and white wines are sourced from California, many of the bottles, barrels, and corks used in the production process come from countries like China and Mexico, and those costs are climbing quickly.
“It’s a similar situation to when COVID hit,” he said. “There was a huge lack of supply, and that just drove the prices up.”
Some customers are already reconsidering their wine-buying habits.
“I love my red wine, but if the price keeps going up, then yes, I’m going to have to scale back a little bit,” another shopper said.
Small wineries like Schoenbaechler’s are doing what they can to absorb the rising costs, but he admits that eventually, the price will have to be passed down to consumers.
“We’re going to do our best to buy in bulk to try to reduce costs,” he said. “But eventually we’ll have to pass it on and it’s not because we want to.”
As tariff tensions continue, some wine drinkers are choosing to stick with American-made brands and say no to imports. Schoenbaechler hopes consumers will take it one step further and support local wineries.
