“Current U.S.A. Trade Agreements & How They Affect Your Wine”

“Current U.S.A. Trade Agreements

&

How They Affect Your Wine”

Under our current U.S.A. Trade Agreements, The American wine consumer and the American small farmer have been ‘sucker punched’!

Today, in America, there are two types of wine producers, the “REAL” wineries and the ‘Wine Factories’.

These American ‘Wine Factories’ are able to capitalize on these Trade Agreements in, primarily, two ways.

Firstly, by importing container loads of cheap juices and concentrates from outside the U.S.A. and, secondly, by setting up ‘distributorships’ for foreign wines.

So, how do these actions by the ‘Wine Factories’, affect you?

America has some of the most effective and comprehensive consumer protection laws in the world.  As an example, we banned child labor over 100 years ago. We banned many chemicals (like DDT) nearly 50 years ago. We would never irrigate our American farm fields with raw sewage. The list goes on and on! “Real” American Wineries and small farmers must comply with these laws.

Our Trade Agreements make no attempt to raise our trading partner’s standards to our high American standards. They simply state, “If you sign on the bottom line, you can import your wines and commodities into America as though they were grown here. However, you are NOT required to meet America’s high consumer protection standards. Meeting your countries standards is good enough”.

In America, every American winery MUST tell you 'the consumer' HOW your wine is made. “Real” American wineries will have the word “Grown” on their wine labels. “Wine Factories” NEVER have the word grown on their wine labels. Obviously, if they’re importing juices and concentrates for their wines, they CAN’T use the word Grown. Most will have only two words, in tiny print on their back labels, “Vinted& Bottled”, “Produced & Bottled” or just the word “Bottled”. That tells you, the wine consumer, that they ARE NOT growing the products for their wines! In order to prevent being deceived, you MUST ask them, before buying or tasting their wines, where are the juices and concentrates coming from!

“Factory Wines” are easy to spot on the retail shelf. In addition to the guidance above, they are all sealed with the gingerbread of plastic or aluminum foil. “Real” American wineries use ‘Sealing Wax’ and will state ‘Grown’ &‘Unfiltered’ on their labels!

Another way that the “Wine Factories” take advantage of these Trade Agreements is to hook up with foreign wine producers. These “Wine Factories” then use their American distribution networks to force these foreign produced wines into our American restaurants and retail outlets. Because of these Trade Agreements, the “Wine Factories” pay NO tariffs on the imported wines and the imported wines DO NOT have to comply with American consumer protections. Of course, the “Wine Factories” bottom line profits become even fatter. The losers are the “Real” American Wineries, the American wine consumer and the American small farmers!

As a closing thought, when the playing field is level, Americans have always been able to compete on the world stage.

It’s time that we, as Americans, regain control of our country and repeal or replace these unfair and hurtful Trade Agreements!

Sincerely…the “Green Winer”!