Beamsville winery owner warns business could close amid U.S. trade turmoil

A Beamsville winery that depends on visitors could close within several months, with its owner saying Canada-U.S. trade uncertainty and an American ban on Canadian alcohol imports have worsened an already difficult financial situation.

John Kocsis, owner of Atlantis Niagara Wines, told CHCH the business is carrying substantial debt and cannot generate the cash it needs to keep operating. The winery opened in 2018.

“We are so far in debt and not being able to generate any cash, within the next several months, we could be shut down,” Kocsis told CHCH.

His warning comes as Niagara businesses contend with uncertainty over trade and cross-border travel. CHCH reported that a complete U.S. ban on Canadian alcohol imports imposed by President Donald Trump had taken effect a week before its report.

For Kocsis, the latest trade disruption follows years of setbacks. He said business was initially strong after the winery opened, but the pandemic brought operations to a halt.

The winery survived that period. As it began to recover years later, he said, tariffs created another obstacle and business fell sharply.

Kocsis described uncertainty about the cost of taking purchases across the border as part of the upheaval. His business relies on tourism rather than sales through the LCBO or restaurants.

“We are strictly a tourist winery, so we don’t sell to LCBO or to restaurants,” Kocsis told CHCH.

That reliance on visitors leaves the winery exposed to disruptions in cross-border tourism. Kocsis said the alcohol import ban has added to the financial pressure, leaving the business facing a possible shutdown rather than a secure recovery.

Niagara’s cross-border ties

Tara Vinodrai, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Management and Innovation, told CHCH that a business’s location and the markets it serves help determine how trade tensions affect it.

She identified Niagara as particularly exposed because of its connections with the United States through both tourism and exports. Those links make proximity to the border an important factor for businesses in the region, she said.

For Kocsis, the threatened closure also carries a family significance. He comes from a family of farmers and winemakers and traced its Beamsville farming history to a property purchased in 1965.

Despite the debt and uncertain outlook, Kocsis said he intends to keep trying to save the winery. He urged Canadians to support one another’s businesses during the economic uncertainty.