Advice for when you’re stuck at home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2020 (2054 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Social distancing, self-isolation, avoiding crowds, cancellation of large events — it’s hard to think about raising a glass of anything in a public, festive context in light of the ever-changing situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan for this week’s column was to highlight the recently announced Wine Down ancillary events that precede the public tastings every year at the Winnipeg Wine Festival. These relatively smaller events take place at various venues throughout the city during the week leading up to the festival’s public tastings, which are held at the RBC Convention Centre on May 1 and 2. The public tastings typically see thousands of thirsty Winnipeggers sampling wines from every corner of the globe in a setting that far exceeds most of the current recommended gathering sizes.

Of course, with the rapidly changing situation regarding the coronavirus, anything could happen. (As of press time, representatives from the festival hadn’t responded to a request for comment about potential postponements and/or cancellations.) For now, if you want to peruse the ancillary events visit the festival website at winnipegwinefestival.com.

In the meantime, if you’re self-isolating, or stuck at home, or just wanting to avoid crowds, why don’t you:

Open that special bottle. If you’ve been saving a bottle for some reason, crack it open and enjoy. Most wines under $25 aren’t meant to be aged for more than 18-24 months, and even if that dusty bottle in the basement was pricey, what better way to usher in a period of self-isolation than with a memorable wine?

Use a delivery service. If you’re worried about heading to your favourite store, use one of the many delivery options available. Liquor Marts offers delivery on a couple hundred items (beer, wine and spirits), many private wine stores, local breweries and beer vendors are on Skip the Dishes, and other local beer vendors are testing out delivery in certain areas of the city via a website called The Bottle Drive (thebottledrive.com).

Uncork a good film. There’s no better time to get caught up on all things wine (and more) by reading a good book or checking out a wine-related movie. The movie Somm, which follows aspiring master sommeliers as they tackle the gruelling exams, is available to stream on Amazon Prime video, as are its two sequels (Somm: Into the Bottle and Somm III). Also on Amazon Prime is the Oscar-winning 2004 comedy Sideways, which follows two men (played by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church) who visit the wine country near Santa Barbara, Calif., for a bachelor weekend before one is to be married. And for the Netflix crowd, the ensemble comedy Wine Country follows a similar trip by a group of women (including characters played by Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph), with disastrous (and quite funny) consequences.

Crack open some drinks-related reading. Prefer to cosy up with a book? Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of a Young Sommelier by Victoria James was published earlier in March, and is available at most bookstores and online retailers, or to download to your e-reader. It’s an eye-opening memoir about James’ rocky childhood,the toxic culture of the service industry and how she fell in love with wine and became America’s youngest sommelier.

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On the retail front, those shopping at Liquor Marts will notice a lack of pourers offering samples of products for the next little while. Like Costco, sampling has been shelved for the time being due to concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. Barn Hammer Brewing and Stone Angel Brewing are temporarily halting growler fills at the brewery due to concerns about the coronavirus.

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If you’re suffering from a case of cabin fever and need to get out, Winnipeg has a new tap room for your beer-sipping pleasure. Oxus Brewing Co. (1180 Sanford St.) opens to the public today; its packaged brews have been available at Liquor Marts and beer vendors for some time, and can now be enjoyed on-site.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson