Hugh Johnson

‘If the wine trade did well out of lockdown, where’s the harm?’

We saw a heartening touch of realism from the Government when, at the start of the Covid scare, it classed wine merchants as essential businesses. Not just for wine, but for alcoholic drinks in general. I’d like to think it passed in Cabinet on the nod. Prohibition? Ridiculous. It was no concession, but a timely acknowledgement that our world, the western world, duly prizes the gift of conviviality and all the human kindnesses and benefits that spring from it. The relaxation and inspiration wine, beer, spirits and the whole colourful catalogue of drinks contribute to our European culture is incalculable.

Lockdown, as a result, was one degree less arduous than it could have been, deprived of a major comfort and consolation. If the wine trade did well out of it, where’s the harm? Lockdown limited almost every other horizon, but if we couldn’t see our friends or even families, food became monotonous and exercise rounds all too familiar, wine kept its broad horizons, its sweeping vista of landscapes, climates and traditions round the globe. You had the choice; you could timidly stick to your commute from Sauvignon to Malbec, or you could go world travelling.

I made a list of our bottle journeys over the three months. India I somehow missed out, but China,

Japan, the Antipodes, the Americas, Africa and most European countries made contributions. Obviously some scored higher than others, but we didn’t find anything we couldn’t drink. There were memorable

(in a good way) wines from Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, the Azores, the Canaries... When I totted up the money I was (reluctantly) saving by not dining out, it easily justified my paying a bit more for my explorations off-piste – except that I didn’t need to. Most were offered at reasonable, and many at almost apologetic prices. If we all added £5, even a tenner, a bottle to what we’d normally pay – and the saving from a restaurant list would be a lot more than that – we’d be having so much fun we’d want lockdown to go on and on.

Here are five bottles that would open your eyes and jolt you out of your rut: Garzon, Reserva Tannat from Uruguay; Cramele Recas, Feteasc a˘ Neagra,˘ Romania; Stellenrust, Blueberry Hill Shiraz, Stellenbosch; Gusbourne, Pinot Noir, Kent; and Oliver Zeter’s Sauvignon Blanc from the Pfalz.

DHugh Johnson OBE is a world-renowned wine writer