Pandemics are Gloomy. Raise a Responsible Glass.
By Marshall Tilden III
It’s no wonder that wine sales are up significantly in our current global environment, as it is one of the few things providing comfort and sanity in an insane world right now.
As I am sure you have already heard, the sales of direct to consumer wine are up significantly in the US right now… anywhere from 40-100% depending on what statistics you look at. People are drinking more, there’s no doubt about it. Let’s face it, when you are stuck home for days upon weeks upon end, it is one of the few enjoyable treats that helps to relax the mind and body during an extremely intense time. But that’s only one of the reasons wine is more popular than ever.
What is just as difficult as dealing with the fear and paranoia of catching this dreaded COVID 19, is the removal of all social gatherings, restaurant outings and all human interaction that we all so naively took for granted. Stopping by a neighbors house for a beer before dinner is no longer allowed, let alone a simple Sunday BBQ with the family. But one thing we can still share with one another, is wine.
I have sent wine and wine essentials (glasses, corkscrews, etc) to my family and friends that I know will be enjoying a little more juice while hunkered down for the foreseeable future, and they are so thankful for it. It allows me to communicate to them that I miss them, and hope they are managing their lives during what has to be the most unfathomable time of our generation. It allows for that human interaction on some level that we all crave so much right now.
Just the other day an old friend from high school (who happens to live in my neighborhood) reached out and let me know that her dad’s wine shop had closed recently (not due to COVID), and that they were drinking some of his older stash. She knew my love for Bordeaux and dropped off a bottle of 2006 Chateau Phelan Segur St. Estephe (fully sanitized curbside delivery of course) just because she thought I would enjoy it. A simple gesture that was so thoughtful gave me glimpse of hope and optimism, in a time filled with grief and despair. I was beyond appreciative of her actions, and the wine itself was drinking just perfectly… it was hands down the best gift ever.
And thank heavens this is happening in the days of the internet. Can you imagine this current quarantine situation 15 years ago?? Now at least we can hop on Zoom call and get to ‘see’ friends and family, maybe even more so than we did before this craziness started. The Virtual Happy Hour has become wildly popular, and with great reason. Where we used to gather after work or on a Friday night to share some wine and discuss our work and family lives, we can at least take it to the video chat and enjoy each other’s company while enjoying a few glasses of wine.
I am able to see my parents and check in on them, and work in some fun wine geek talk with my Pops about what wines are helping him get through their isolation. Recently I popped open a bottle of 2007 Bollinger La Grand Annee I had been saving for a special occasion. I figured our friend’s virtual 50th Birthday party was just that occasion. While I am sure he would have preferred that we were all physically together so he could have actually had a taste (as it was phenomenal), this was truly the next best thing.
So in this unprecedented tumultuous period of our lives, it is wine that is still helping to bring people together as it continues to help keep those lines of communication open, and is helping us all to find those periods of normalcy and joy. Don’t believe me? Try sending a friend a bottle of wine and a few glasses and see what happens… you’ll thank me later.
Marshall Tilden III is VP of Sales & Wine Education at Wine Enthusiast in Valhalla. He can be reached by phone at 914-789-8912 or by email at mtilden@wineenthusiast.net. The business website is WineEnthusiast.com. Tilden and his wife live in Mt. Kisco with their two children, who both attend school in the Bedford Central School District. They have a seven-year-old, second-grade daughter and a nine-year-old, fourth-grade son. Tilden is also a Mount Kisco Little League coach and board member.
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