Booze in the time of COVID-19
Following the Government restrictions on hospitality and nonessential businesses on Sunday, so many of our neighbourhood bars and bottle shops are doing everything they can to make sure they’ll still be here at the end of this pandemic and to keep you drinking well while you’re working from home and self-isolating. We wanted to give a shoutout to our favourite places to drink from, many who are now offering free delivery and setting up their stores to operate online for your convenience and everyone’s safety.
Act of Wine have made the heartbreaking decision to close both their Southbank and Collingwood stores to protect their customers and staff, but thankfully these guys have been running their online store since 2018. Showcasing organic, biodynamic and natural wines from producers all over the world, who all share an emphasis on minimal intervention winemaking and regenerative agriculture, Act of Wine has an incredible range featuring many of our favourite producers. With free same day delivery within 15km of the Melbourne CBD when you order before 1pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, plus 10% off orders of 6 or more wines, you don’t need to worry about running low on natties in the foreseeable future.
The Alps have ceased all on-premise trading indefinitely but the team have pulled all the stops out to move their selection online. They’re offering free same day delivery of 2 bottle+ orders before 4pm to anyone located within an 8km radius of the store and will be adding new products and categories daily. While we won’t be travelling anywhere for a while, let their selection of wine from the surrounding areas of the European Alps, including Burgundy, Alto Adige, Jura, Piedmont, Savoie and the Veneto transport you olfactorily.
Long-time followers of the Booze Hags will know we can’t get enough of Blackhearts & Sparrows and they’ll be keeping their 12 stores open with regular trading hours. The good news for everyone who is not located near a Blackhearts is that they recently launched their online store so you can shop from the best wherever you are. All of their collab beers, wine and spirits are online, plus they’ve put together some handy packs and collections to get you through these unprecedented times. We’re particularly impressed by their Evergreen selection from producers whose regions were affected by the bushfires, smoke, frost, hail, and other extreme conditions this summer, who are now also feeling the impact of this current health crisis and need all of our support more than ever.
Cult of the Vine are doing everything they can to make their full list available online ASAP, but in the meantime you can email Brad via cultofthevine@gmail.com and they’ll send you their complete list along with some simple payment options. They’re offering free delivery on any multi-bottle purchase across Australia plus free same or next-day local drop-off to everyone located from Coburg to Carlton, Ascot Vale to East Brunswick and everything else in between.
Noisy Ritual have also been forced to close and it couldn’t come at a worse time for these absolute legends who are not only reliant on getting people together for a good time at their Brunswick East venue, but they are also smack-bang in the middle of their 2020 vintage and are a people-powered winery normally reliant on the help of members to make their wine. In a bid to keep the wheels turning behind closed doors, Cam & Alex are offering 25% off all wine orders through their online store and free delivery to the Melbourne Metro area. Remember you can always buy a gift voucher too, which is a fantastic future present and offers a choice of anything Noisy Ritual from wine, tours, tastings & memberships to drinks or food in the bar.
And a reminder that you can always shop directly with your favourite wineries, breweries and distilleries who will also be feeling a downturn in visitor numbers due to the travel restrictions, enforced closures and social-isolation measures. Unico Zelo, one of our all-time favourite producers, have taken the situation into their own hands and assembled a Coronavino Care Package – a mixed dozen pack at 20% off with free delivery right to your door – and Brendan, the winemaker and co-founder, will be doing daily Facebook Live streams where he’ll crack open a bottle and “share” a couple of glasses with anyone who wants to tune in.
Some of our other favourite producers you can shop directly online with are:
And a few more of our favourite online stores are:
We hope this info helps you guys feel like you can be in control of one aspect of your life in these very unsettling times, and that’s the booze that you choose to consume and the businesses and producers that you can still support. We’ve started a thread in our Facebook Group so you can share your local bars and bottle shops that are also having to adapt and change their offering. Stay safe and happy drinking!