2020, what a vintage to be alive. When we enjoy wine, we should take a look back on the impactful challenges and events that occurred during its growing season and how it influenced the finished product. The vintage note for wine hospitality during this time is not yet finished, fluctuating between the dejection and fear felt by many and the optimism of hope that defines the hospitality spirit. The question remains though if an industry built on the close interaction of people can continue when having to be heavily sterilized to be of service in a world six feet away. At its heart I like to believe the wine industry is hopeful, a byproduct of having so many things out of your control, from the vineyards, cellar and even ultimately the customers perception. If studied, wine history can teach us in these dark times that people have applied this hope to adapt through some years of great suffering, whether it be brought upon ourselves or given to us from Mother Nature. I can only imagine the hope needed to overcome the fear people felt as they saw their vineyards and livelihood decay as Phylloxera stripped the vine away from the land. Hope was even in the World War vintage of 1914 as artillery shells flew through the sky above France, as small children of fighting soldiers darted from vine to vine in Champagne, courageously harvesting everything their small hands could carry to help their families.
Before the craziness that has engulfed the world, I had been going on many interviews. One question that kept being asked is how I would define hospitality, something with many responses to many people but for me, defined as inconveniencing yourself for the comfort of another. I have thought back on my definition since the world has turned upside down, does it still apply? In my view many sommeliers and wine professionals have answered this question with their actions and kept true to this spirit of hospitality, comforting others and providing a communal determination and hope for their communities. So many have taken to social media to offer their knowledge and spirit in the form of virtual tastings where people can escape from the troubles of the world over a glass or two. Wine sales representatives, whose job takes them across their city have been amazing in helping spread the word about which businesses are open and what they can offer during this time. Wineries have stepped up by offering gift packages of their bottles and food to hospital and emergency staff members that are taking care of us during this time. Wine buyers and sommeliers who work in essential businesses still open for their community deal with new challenges daily that would have been inconceivable before just so we can stock up on our wine needs. Selling wine may seem like a luxury now but in times of hardship what’s really inside the bottle for many is reassurance and comfort.
The spirit of hospitality is alive. Its wellness remains to be seen. I tell myself this not knowing where we are in this state of emergency. Some say it’s the middle, others say the beginning. The delusional knowingly say the end. Although many are suffering, March has been especially unkind to the hospitality industry with a loss of 459,000 jobs.* In many restaurants, wineries and retail stores mass firings have already started with anger, confusion and resentment following close behind. My feelings rapidly swing from righteous indignation to solemn understanding. What workers are needed if there is no work? Being asked to leave is something that most could have never imagined as too many of us are the orphans that fuel the industry, always ready to miss a holiday or family gathering, finding purpose in something with perpetual need for our service. Uncertainty appears daily, but this is not the end of hospitality, even if future sommeliers may be singing the praises of their favorite Barolo producers through sterile mask and gloves in an intimate setting of a quarter full restaurant, strictly limited to a few amount of people.
Outside spring has emerged, giving the sky a bright shade of blue I wouldn’t have fully appreciated before. In vineyards across America grapevines have started to grow, unaware of any of the current problems of people. I try to adopt their resolve as my own. There is wine yet to be made and life in all its forms must go on. Timing is everything. The time to harvest, the time to bottle, the time we might get the chance to start living our lives again. Online I see many people turning to wine for reassurance, but I have had only one glass during this whole ordeal. I stare at the almost full bottle that’s been sitting on my table for days, maybe I’ve drank enough or maybe what I miss most isn’t inside the bottle but around it. Each night I go to bed later and later with what seems to be a lack of purpose, but the truth is none of us will have lost any more than we ever had before this tragedy. The small things that people in the wine community are doing to survive may seem insignificant, but over time will provide the strength and hope needed for the next generation who will be called upon to suffer and endure. There is an old, often repeated saying that stressed vines make great wine. It is time to listen and learn what our old friends can teach. The winter cold has thawed and budbreak has passed, the vine has flowered, and fruit has set. Grapes of hope are coming soon, with the promise that this may be the greatest vintage yet.
* Franck, Thomas. "Here are the industries suffering the biggest job losses in an initial look at coronavirus impact." CNBC, 3 Apr. 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/this-chart-shows-which-industries-saw-big-job-losses-in-march-2020.html.