April 20th, 2020 about wine purchasing

​During this lockdown our wine reserves are dwindling.  Not that we are drinking more wine (well, maybe a little more), but all of the wine we are drinking is coming from our reserves.  So how are you faring?  If you are running low, many of the wineries are open for on-line business. In fact, this is a great time to purchase wine directly from the wineries.  Almost all of them are offering great deals on their wine.  I’m taking advantage of the low prices -- right now I’m waiting on a delivery of wine from Vineyard Grant James – six bottles of red wine (Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Zinfandel) at $25 per bottle with free delivery.  These are typically priced in the $40 range.  Of course, buying now is a good way to help keep your favorite boutique wineries afloat.
Now if you do take advantage of the low wine prices, you may need extra space to store the wine.  If you live in San Diego north of interstate 8 you might want to look into Chateau 55.  The special deal still works if you go through this website – first month free and 5% discount for the next 11 months.  You get a key and a fob to allow you to access your wine whenever you want without worrying about getting the virus.  More important, perhaps, is that you can have the wine delivered directly to their facility and put into your storage locker so you don’t even have to deal with a delivery man.
The wineries are doing other things as well as selling wine, such as virtual wine tasting events and even Zoom wine pickup parties for their club members.  Remember that some of the best balsamic vinegars and olive oils are available from the wineries.  Wineries that have both include Orfila (though they are out of their red balsamic vinegar, my personal favorite, and I am really bummed out), Ponte (very good but the sell out quickly), Robert Renzoni, and Principe di Tricasse.  Speaking of Principe di Tricasse, they make a Marsala wine.  My wife made an outstanding veal marsala last night using their wine.  Hatfield Creek might be a place to visit without running into other people.  They have a maze that you can try to navigate.
Horror of horrors!  I just got a message from Grant James that my wine won’t get here until tomorrow!  Oh, well, I guess I have enough to make through another day or twenty….
Anyway, please take care.  And remember, you don’t have to drive anywhere….