Just yesterday, our Province declared that wine retail stores were an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although our store is no longer open to the public, we continue our “essential service” by providing curbside pickup, deliveries (currently by us since we ran out of shipping boxes…) and we’ll take your order online or over the phone. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. You don’t have to do a thing! Just call ahead, and we’ll even place it in your trunk for you, keeping in mind physical distance!

Although I’m not in quarantine, other than work, I am in isolation. Literally I go to work, then I come home. The next day I do it all over again. My life is on repeat for the foreseeable future. Today however, I did some of those aforementioned deliveries, getting fresh air and putting smiles on people’s faces from afar. I just asked them to wave at me from their door, acknowledging I had their delivery. I then put the boxes on their front step after they closed their doors and drove away. It’s sad really. This non human contact will be the death of me before any virus that’s for sure! Those out there who are extroverts can relate. Introverts seem to be ok with all of this!

After a long week of work (and I’m thankful to even have a job during this time), tonight’s wine is like a warm hug for me. I love this wine. Full stop. Fairly inexpensive, but classic pinot noir, a grape I don’t drink often because there are never any I really like.  This one, especially in a Riedel Pinot Noir glass makes me happy.

The Perroud Freres Pinot Noir is affectionately known as the “horse pinot”, because the label depicts a man holding the halter of a horse and smiling at it. Any store I’ve worked at that’s carried it, it’s always a big seller because of flavour and price point! Brothers (Frerès) Robert and Michel Perroud make this wine from the family’s Certified Organic vineyard. It is a Bourgogne Pinot Noir that is medium ruby in colour with some red cherry, blueberry, hints of spice and a bit of underlying earthiness – totally pinot-ish.

Tonight, I raise my glass to all of you in quarantine because you have to, or in isolation because you’ve just returned from travel, or in isolation because you’ve been mandated to.  Here’s to next week, whatever it may bring! Cheers.