Once again there is not much happening in DC from a legislative standpoint since the House is in recess (again!) and the Senate is at an impasse about whether to scrap the filibuster so Republicans can pass the SAVE Act, a presidential priority. A reminder: Last year Congress was in session for a total of … Read more

Florida Wine Country Surrounded by massive bodies of water on three sides and on a relatively low (hot) latitude, Florida is ideal for growing all kinds of citrus and tropical fruits, but hospitable only to muscadine grapes—which is fine, as they can produce some real good wines. The large economic impact of wine on Florida’s … Read more

Tariff War Casualties, Mini-Shutdown Fallout, Industry Shrinkage Tariff Wars: The value of US wine exports declined by $428 million (33%) in 2025, according to the American Association of Wine Economists. The largest impact involved Canada ($343 million, down 77.7%), followed by China and the UK. The Canadian decline was due to a boycott of US … Read more

Delaware Wine Country “The First State” proudly adorns Delaware license plates, and Swedish settlers first made wine in 1638. But that small east coast state also has the fewest wineries of any state and, alas, is now one of only three which do not allow direct-to-consumer shipping. Nevertheless, its relatively mild maritime climate is conducive … Read more

Shutdown, Farm Bill, TTB A.I. Notice, Intoxicating Hemp The U.S.-Israeli invasion of Iran eclipsed everything else on the news cycles and in DC this week, and probably will in the near future. Still, there were some quiet developments worth noting. The Mini-Shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues as Senate Republicans and Democrats … Read more