Kory Burke, a small winemaker in California, faces a 15% tariff on imports from the European Union. This tariff increases costs dramatically for essential components such as corks and French oak barrels. Burke's cork provider states he will cover only 2% of the added cost, leaving Burke to absorb the remaining 13%. This situation jeopardizes Burke's commitment to maintaining wine prices and threatens the viability of his family-run business. Other wine producers express similar concerns about their reliance on foreign supplies, indicating a significant challenge for U.S. wineries.
The first email I received was from my cork provider, Burke recalled. He said he'd take on 2% of the additional cost of importing corks from Europe, but I would have to absorb the other 13%.
Every one of these messages was a gut punch for Burke's five-year-old family-run business, Dresser Winery, which sits on an idyllic hillside outside Paso Robles and specializes in big, bold reds.
If we do that, he said flatly, we have to shut the business down.
As another producer from Paso Robles, Paul Hoover of Still Waters Vineyards, put it: The only thing in my bottles made in America is the wine.
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