Craig Pacheco of VIN-STAR Imports (left) with Lightning Rock owner Ron Kubek (right) and winemaker Sébastien Hotte (middle)

Relations between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north have been strained of late due to an active trade war. Craig Pacheco, owner of VIN-STAR Imports, sees the current situation between the U.S. and Canada as an opportunity to extend a vinous olive branch by importing British Columbia wines into the U.S.

“What better way to repair and rebuild the relationship between our two countries than with a little bit of wine diplomacy?” Pacheco asks.

VIN-STAR Imports got its start after a devastating 2024 freeze hit British Columbia and the broader Pacific Northwest. The event left B.C. wineries in need of fruit at a time when Washington State has an overabundance. Pacheco, a business lawyer specializing in alcohol beverage regulatory matters and transactions, started brainstorming with lawyers in British Columbia about using Washington’s surplus to meet B.C.’s shortfall.

“The whole idea was to create a free resource that would open up a channel of commerce between our local vineyards, custom crush facilities, and wineries in Washington and Oregon to help B.C. wineries fill their grape supply gap,” Pacheco says.

Pacheco’s outreach to B.C. wineries included visiting dozens of tasting rooms and engaging with winemakers and brand owners. Along the way, he tasted hundreds of wines.

“Many of them I thought were just excellent in quality, brand, story, and packaging too,” Pacheco says.

Pacheco also noted a few categories that have high quality-to-price ratios in B.C. and that also fill gaps he saw in Washington. These included lower alcohol and higher acidity white wines, well-priced sparkling wines, and biodynamic red wines.

Inspired, Pacheco started VIN-STAR Imports, bringing British Columbia produced wines into the U.S. Pacific Northwest market.

“The goal with VIN-STAR Imports is not to try to go head-to-head with the standout wines that Washington and Oregon are well known for,” Pacheco says. “The idea is to try to complement our best with the best from the north side of our shared Cascade ecosystem.”

On March 31^st, Pacheco loaded up a U-Haul with 100 cases of B.C. wine, hoping to get across the border before Liberation Day. (He was delayed but was ultimately able to cross the border April 2^nd without paying any tariffs.) Since then, he’s been promoting the B.C. wines in the local market, on-premise, and at retail.

“Even among sophisticated wine buyers, the best way to build awareness is simply to get liquid to lips,” Pacheco says. “The people I meet with, they get excited as soon as they taste the quality and the freshness of the wines. They get more excited when I tell them the prices.”

Despite a shared border, very little British Columbia wine makes it into the Washington market at present. Part of the reason is most of it is sold locally. Another, as Washington producers can attest, is it’s difficult to grow awareness of a largely unknown region. However, both regions offer something wine lovers seek.

“Part of the sell to me is it’s a process of discovery,” Pacheco says. “People who love wine love that process of exploration.”

VIN-STAR Imports currently offers 12 British Columbia-produced wines from 4 producers. They are Lightning Rock, the TIME Family of Wines, Clos du Soleil, and Solvero. The wines range in price from $20 to $38 retail.

At present, wine coming into the U.S. from British Columbia is exempt from tariffs. However, U.S. wine exports to Canada have been devastated by consumer backlash from the trade war, decreasing nearly 100%. It is also unclear at present if the British Columbia government will extend the regulatory and markup relief that it offered in 2024. This allowed many B.C. producers to purchase grapes and juice from Washington and Oregon and sell the resulting wine at a reasonable price.

Still, the efforts of Pacheco and many others to join British Columbia producers with Washington and Oregon growers and winemakers made a sizable impact in 2024. Pacheco believes the success of that venture will open up other opportunities.

“True collaboration between neighbors is not one way,” Pacheco says. “What I saw, especially based on the quality of the wines, was an opportunity to build some bridges for a collaboration that flows both ways.”

NB: See reviews of VIN-STAR Imports wines in the Tasting Note Database, including reviews for Lightning Rock, McWatters Collection, and Solvero. The reviews were published here.

Image courtesy of VIN-STAR Imports. 

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