Nielsen reports are showing wine sales that are running equal to holiday weeks, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Except for champagne — what’s there to celebrate? — wine sales for the weekend ending March 21 are up 66 percent.

No matter how good the business, merchants are worried that the market will experience a dramatic swing of the pendulum once the corona virus abates. The current splurge is what they call “pantry stocking.”

Even though restaurants are experiencing a dearth in sales, retail merchants have picked p the slack. And, those producers with robust on-line or club sales are in a better position to weather this crisis.