Wine and the pandemic: what changed for wine lovers

The pandemic turned our habits upside down, including the way we discover and share wine. Here is how we lived through this period, keeping our taste for discovery and the pleasure of tasting, always in moderation.

An essential good

We are lucky enough to live in a country where wine counts as an essential good: wine shops were able to stay open. A great opportunity to visit your favourite wine merchant, ask for advice and choose a good bottle to go with a meal.

Does wine protect against Covid-19? No

During the pandemic, enthusiastic headlines circulated: laboratory studies in the United States and Taiwan observed that certain compounds in grapes and wine, such as tannins, could interfere with virus enzymes in a test tube. Be careful, though: these are laboratory experiments, not evidence in humans, and no health authority considers wine to be a protection against Covid-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) also points out that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. Wine remains a pleasure of tasting and culture, to be enjoyed in moderation, not a remedy.

Staying in touch from a distance

Evenings aren't easy at the moment, especially when you're in a small group or even on your own. Let's be clear: wine is not a remedy for loneliness, boredom or stress. It is, however, a wonderful topic of conversation. Sharing your favourite finds with your loved ones, swapping reading ideas about wine regions or following a guided tasting online are all ways of staying in touch around a shared passion.

To travel from your sofa

Lockdown every other month, restaurants and borders closed, quarantine in some countries… In short, it's not the best time to travel! At your next meal at home, take the time to look at where the bottle you have chosen to go with it comes from, read its label and imagine yourself there. With a bit of luck you'll be in a different region from your own, and if your bottle comes from us, you'll be travelling to the other side of the world.

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Please drink responsibly.