Bordeaux producers aren’t looking forward to the release of the 2021 wines. Widespread frost in the spring killed a lot of buds. The French government has forecasted the harvest to be among the smallest in the last 50 years. Comparisons are being drawn to the 1977 vintage, which was about the time I started buying French wines. The deals were great then and many producers managed to produce decent, albeit not great, wines. I remember the 1977 Chateau Beychevelle, for instance.

The 1961 harvest got off to a similar start and turned out to be one of the more remarkable wines of the century. Yield was low in the vineyards but the grapes were intense and the few wines made were long-lived. How the 2021 vintage fares remains to be seen. Just add wine to the woes of the year.

In France there is nothing closer to culture than wine and cheese. Although the country closed down most commerce this week, the government allowed for 40 categories of exceptions.

According to the Washington Post, among those exceptions were wine shops, bakeries, butchers, cheese shops, fine grocers and tobacco stores.

However, out of the usual “abundance of caution” many shops decided to close anyway. Before they did, though, many were offering delivery of “survival wine packs” of six or 12 bottles of wine.

If wine isn’t your sin, you can go to the Netherlands where cannabis dispensers are open to easy the anxieties of the Dutch.

Wine producers in the United States are getting very creative with virtual wine tastings and special deals. Chateau Montelena, for instance, has put together a “Wine Shelter package” that includes a copy of “Bottle Shock” (an excellent book based on Chateau Montelena’s win at the 1976 Judgment of Paris), a mix-and-match set of wines and a complimentary wine tasting coupon to use in the future.

Looking ahead: the 2021 Bordeaux vintage

French wine shops still open