The ban has been in force since September 29 and is the latest chapter in the trade war between the two neighbors
Since September 29, wine, spirits and malt beer bottled in Canada can no longer enter the United States. The ban was announced on September 8 in a proclamation by President Donald Trump and is the latest step in the trade dispute between the two neighbors, according to The Spirits Business. The measure also covers some dairy products and motorcycles.
To justify the ban, the proclamation cites continued discrimination against American commerce in alcoholic beverages. It is a response to the Canadian provinces: eight of them pulled American alcohol from their shelves in March 2025, after Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods. In August 2026, the US applied 50% tariffs to more Canadian products, and in September Canada responded with equivalent, dollar-for-dollar measures.
The rule has an exception that matters for the big brands. According to Wine Spectator, bulk wine, in containers larger than 4 liters, is still allowed in but pays a 50% tariff, and bulk spirits face neither a ban nor a tariff. As a result, brands such as Crown Royal and Fireball, which import their spirit in bulk and bottle it in the United States, keep reaching American consumers.
The numbers show the scale of the fight. The US took 93% of Canadian spirits exports in 2025, according to The Spirits Business. In the other direction, American spirits exports to Canada fell 70% between March and December 2025, from US$232 million to US$72 million, and Canada, once the second-largest market for American spirits, dropped to fifth in 2026. US wine exports to Canada fell 87%, from US$456 million to US$60 million, according to Wine Spectator.
For Canadian wine, the direct impact is small: Canada exported fewer than 80,000 cases of bottled wine to the US in 2024, most of it ice wine, made from grapes frozen on the vine. The American coalition Toasts Not Tariffs, which brings together 59 groups representing bars, restaurants, retailers and beverage suppliers, warned that the ban will hit US hospitality just ahead of the holiday season and called for a negotiated solution that puts American products back on Canadian shelves.
Sources: The Spirits Business (September 30, 2026), Wine Spectator (September 29, 2026).
