Sales of wines and spirits from Uncle Sam have dropped by 70% between March and December last year. The first beneficiaries are the Canadian winemakers and alcohol producers, whose profits are on the rise. This unforeseen opportunity is a boon for the producers in the French-speaking province, whose wines have always struggled to gain popularity, even among the Québécois, whereas the wines from the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and those from British Columbia, which are more pleasing, are more successful.
Depreciation of the Canadian dollar Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, states, “In the short term, it is mainly the local producers and distributors who benefit from this boycott, notably in Quebec, as well as some European importers, including French wines, who are gaining market share.” However, the restructuring is not perfect. Some of the demand disappears or shifts towards local beers, ready-to-drink products, or local spirits. Julien Martin, an economics professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, adds, “European wines benefit, even though their sales are penalized by the depreciation of the Canadian dollar against the euro.” A recent survey by the Quebec Retail Council reveals that 55% of Québécois avoid buying American products. All Canadians, except Albertans, who have few cultural differences with the United States, are participating in the boycott. Not only are consumers no longer drinking American wines, but distributors are also not purchasing whiskies and other Californian wines.
Red wines from Spain, Italy, and Australia According to the Montreal daily newspaper “La Presse”, the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), which holds a monopoly on wine sales in Quebec, has removed more than 3,700 cases of alcohol from the United States from shelves since March 2025. Some of the implicated bottles were donated to charity organizations. The spokeswoman for SAQ, Linda Bouchard, reveals that “France remains by far the largest country of origin for wines sold at SAQ, representing 38% of market share by value, ahead of Italy (27%) and Spain (14.8%).”
“The withdrawal of American wines has primarily benefited red wines from Spain, Italy, and Australia.”
On the other hand, “over the last year of marketing, the data indicates that the withdrawal of American wines has primarily benefited red wines from Spain, Italy, and Australia,” adds the spokeswoman. The only consolation is that Bordeaux remains the top French region in market share at SAQ, followed by wines from Languedoc. However, the sales of Cahors have declined.
