I’ve been very impressed with the wine producers who are giving back to their employees and others during the COVID-19 crisis. All the major conglomerates — Constellation, Gallo, for instance — are making major contributions to disaster relief.

Consumers can help too. In my community, a lot of retailers are still open and offering hands-free, curbside pickup with incredible sales. Perhaps the most impressive are the restaurants who offer food and wine packages. Restaurants often get wines that retailers cannot get, so it would be wise to see what they are offering. One restaurant in my community is selling wines at retail prices — half the price they sell it for in the restaurant. It goes to show you the huge markup they get for table-side wine.

I’ve had a couple of virtual tastings with friends last week. Ironically, two of us even chose the same wine — an obscure blend of Italian grape varieties called Zenato Alanera Rosso. What are the odds? It was great to share notes of this delicious wine.

This week my wife and I will share the screen with another wine-loving couple. We’re getting the wines and food from the same restaurant. Even if we can’t get together in person, we can still have a great conversation over food and wine.