LEWISTON, N.Y. — Bella Rose Winery sits just a few miles from the Canadian border, but it might as well be a different world. With the relationship between the U.S. and Canada souring, wine producers like Michael Schweitzer are feeling the squeeze.
“The Canadian side wine industry has been booming,” said Schweitzer. “We’ve seen significant decreases in all three steps of age groups in our demographic, as well as Canadians coming over.”
Schweitzer says that there’s a host of issues the industry is facing: the proliferation of recreational cannabis, GLP1’s, and cross-border tourism plummeting.
According to Tourism Economics, Canadian spending in New York fell by $480 billion dollars in 2025.
Chair of the Coalition to Expand Consumer Choice, Mona Golub, believes that her organization has a solution. The coalition is pushing state legislators to allow grocery stores to sell wine and spirits.
“More than 75% of New Yorkers want the access,” said Golub. “They want the convenience of being able to purchase wine where they're purchasing the food that they're likely to consume with it.”
Golub says the move will help modernize the wine industry in New York.
“When you continue to put new and e...