President-elect Donald Trump, Kid Rock and Elon Musk.
Proposed mass deportation of undocumented immigrants could have a major impact on vineyards in particular, where vineyard owners, especially on the US West Coast, rely heavily on undocumented farm labour for their harvests.
Tariffs could also raise prices on foreign wines, theoretically making US-made wines more competitive domestically.
Uncertainty abounds, but many American wineries and growers are preparing for major federal shifts in domestic and international policy.
The looming impact of Trump’s immigration policies
California, home to 81% of all US wine production, stands to be the most impacted by any potential labour law and deportation policy changes. Blanca Wright, a member of California’s Farm Labor Contractor Association (CFLCA), says of the proposed reduction in available farm workers: ‘For growers, these policies could potentially impact their ability to secure skilled labour, which increases production costs and can delay harvests.’
Washington State grower Dick Boushey stated similar concerns for his operation, ‘100% of my crew are Hispanic people, mostly from Mexico, others from El Salvador, Guatemala and recently Peru. Many of my long-term workers are getting older, and we don’t see a lot of replacements except for new immigrants.’
Vineyard workers in Santa Barbara County. Credit: George Rose / Getty Images
One potential solution for the vineyard labour shortage could be increased use of H-2A visas. These visas allow foreign workers meeting specific requirements to work in the US for a short period of time. However, the programme is restrictive compared to more traditional
