Wine in the age of the corona.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 3:48 pm

Wow is Andrew Cuomo rising to the occasion.
His father would be proud.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:48 pm

Meantime, Orange Head tweeting insults this morning. Disgusting.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:52 pm

Usually crises bring out greatness in presidents, even when you disagree with them. This little penis just can't stop.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 5:27 pm

Yeah, Cuomo's been quite the stud. What leadership should look like.

Shifting from the medical side of this thread to the wine side -

I've been tempted to buy a number of things (Champagnes, 2016 Italians, white Burgs), but have found it easier than I thought it would be to maintain fidelity to the 2020 moratorium (remember that?), even with the Champagne exemption. I think the economic effects of this virus are going to result in some fire sale prices come late spring or summer. Maybe not on the high end stuff we chase but I'm keeping my powder dry.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 5:40 pm

David, why don't you ask for a coronavirus exemption? Emphasize the mental health aspect to bolster your case. And the "social responsibility to keep the economy going" aspect.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 5:58 pm

Stefan I would but Jim said all exemptions had to be proposed before 1/1/20. Of course he can do anything he wants as Benevolent Dictator. Wish he could just ban the damn bug and be done wiith it.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 6:02 pm

Yes I am considering a declaration of state of emergency here on BWE and suspension of the moratorium as part of an overall stimulus package.

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 6:32 pm

JimHow wrote:Yes I am considering a declaration of state of emergency here on BWE and suspension of the moratorium as part of an overall stimulus package.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 6:47 pm

JimHow wrote:Yes I am considering a declaration of state of emergency here on BWE and suspension of the moratorium as part of an overall stimulus package.

A very wise decision if I may be so bold

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 6:56 pm

Love it. I knew the moratorium wouldn't last but under the circumstances another great decision by the BD. Wouldn't buy now though as DG said there are likely to be great Thanksgiving Day sales!!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:03 pm

StimULUS... or maybe stimulaTION.

Either way...

I James P. How, in my kind and benevolent capcity as Benevolent Dicator of Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts, do hereby declare:

Wherefore, in consideration that a worldwide emergency does exist due to the Covid-19 virus;

And further, insofar as I am kind and benevolent;

Now, therefore:

Until further notice, the Great Wine Buying Moratorium of 2020 is and hereby shall be SUSPENDED.

So it has been written. So it shall be done.

Jim How
Kind and Benevolent Dictator
Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:27 pm

Thank you sir,
This is most welcome.
We have now more and more room in the wine fridge, seeing as we are not going out much.
You are indeed kind and benevolent!

JCNorthway · Post by **JCNorthway** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:50 pm

All the buying from pent up demand will cause a small bump in the economy!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 12:49 am

So far at least, I'm enjoying the isolation.
I always wanted to be an astronaut, one of the most isolated of occupations, when I was a coke-bottled-black-framed-glasses autistic nerd (before the term even existed) in elementary school a St. Patrick's school in the sixties.
Now I'm away from the go-go-go of the court system and can focus on other priorities.
As far as work, it's almost like the best of both worlds: I have plenty of work to bill from my computer here at home, but there's really no pressing need to go over to the jail, all of the clients have received the continuance notices, the phone calls have almost completely stopped. No need to go yell at the district attorneys in court, indeed, as the leader of the Androscoggin County criminal defense bar, I've met with our county DA who has been very cooperative in amending bail orders, getting non-violent criminals out of jail. This is the way it should work in times of crisis.
Exercising, losing weight, I'm down 11 pounds since you guys saw me in Fort Lauderdale.
Eating right, living a little more holistically.
Living Frugally. Taking stock.
Reading, writing more.
Reassessing things, reorganizing, spring cleaning the house, getting caught up on paperwork, organizing my homicide files.
Courts are closed here in Maine until May 1st, my next court appearance is scheduled for May 4th.
About to enter week 2 of a 7 week "working vacation."
Even Democrats and Republicans showing at least some signs of getting together.
Watching Orange today and watching Andrew Cuomo, the contrasts in character, the human drama, the only thing we really do have to fear is fear itself.
Not wishing it ever happned, of course, but maybe this is the slap upside the head we've needed for some time now.
A heightened sense of the obvious: That we're all in it together.
Understanding how fragile it all is.
Interconnected. On a spec of dust hurtling through the void of the cosmos.
Stories of courage from healthcare workers like CV's better half will emerge and far outweigh the negatives, like the price gougers at AT&T who are raising my DirectTV bill month after month so I have to pay more to watch Wolf Blitzer for the latest important updates.
We are one organism.
Neil Armstrong was my hero, but 1A was Mike Collins, orbiting the moon 60 miles up, alone every hour or so on the back side, he perhaps not coincidentally produced some of the best descriptions, narrative, poetry of the journey, looking down at that lifeless, grey, barren, pockmarked surface, every hour or so the shiny blue and white marble, teeming with trillions of organisms of life, would rise to interrupt the uncompromising blackness over the horizon, an intersection of mathematics and spirituality, those two great opposites, every living being fitting behind his thumb nail. Now that's isolation!
I remember Neil and Buzz walking on the surface, I remember as a ten year old how sad I was for them during those two and half hours, how vulnerable they were, alone, completely dependent on the small oxygen tanks circulating cool air through their suits, sewn in unbelievably meticulous detail by unsung hero women back in a NASA plant, some of the half million unsung heroes of the NASA program (YouTube the documentary on the making of the Apollo moon suits sometime, an incredible story), just wanting them to get the moonwalk over, they had accomplished their goal, what are you doing, Buzz, prancing around in the four billion year old lunar dust, get back in, just don't tear your suit, just get back....!! If their self-contained life support systems failed in the slightest way (a "daisy chain," as Mike Collins described it), they were dead in an instant, and the hopes of a planet with them.
It's all so fragile! As much as I yell and scream, though, I'm an optimist. This has been an existential moment for humanity, and if we can't make ourselves better as a species after something like this, then we never will. Of course, we have had existential moments before, and we have not necessarily shined afterwards, indeed, we became more greedy, narcissistic, materialistic, money-driven.
Hopefully we will do better this time around. I'm optimitic that we will.
Stay safe, BWEers, around this precious, vulnerable globe.

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:21 am

Very touching. I love the Apollo 11 story.

Stay safe. Buy a roku for $50, cut the DirecTv cord, subscribe to Sling, Youtube TV or Hulu with live channels (https://www.cnet.com/news/best-live-tv- ... -for-2020/)

I am not optimistic. If we can elect a divider like AmericaFirstTrump who only cares about his base (and even then, purely out of self interest), I have very little hope.

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:45 am

Jacques

How Presidential is Cuomo looking during this political debacle ?

So far he has been a voice of reason and sound leadership for NY. This is the kind of new blood the country need, i believe.

Have not purchased a single bottle this year and the withdrawal symptoms have subsided almost 3 months into the moratorium. Getting at least 4 emails a day with another Brunello, Chianti or Barolo deal. Italian wines are going to plummet as producers are going to scramble to raise as much cash as possible.

Someone recently mentioned 2016 Piedmonte was one of the greatest vintages EVER. Would love some ideas as to what one would want to acquire in these difficult times, as the moratorium has been lifted.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 6:47 pm

You write well Jim and I share many of your sentiments but sadly not your optimism for bipartisanship.

One of the holdups in the relief package is a proviso Rs tried to hide in the footnotes that would limit or prohibit support to physicians participating in Medicaid or Obamacare plans. A back door way of killing those plans.

Of course the cable and TV media go no deeper than "partisanship on both sides." You’re not calling a football game, you’re supposed to be reporting the issues.

In related news, most doctors I know who own their own practices will last a month or two before they’ll no longer be able to make payroll and have to start letting people go. Including those who have dropped their personal compensation to zero. So depending on the timing and size of the relief, I can’t see wholesale blaming of employers for letting workers go.

Also, now might not be the best time to let a large percentage of physicians go bankrupt.

But on a more positive note and in line with your beautiful post, the extra time to reflect has made me appreciate even more the connections and friends I’ve made through BWE. I look forward even more to seeing you all again once this is over, but until then I’m thankful to have you all as part of my extended family.

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:38 pm

brodway wrote:
Someone recently mentioned 2016 Piedmonte was one of the greatest vintages EVER. Would love some ideas as to what one would want to acquire in these difficult times, as the moratorium has been lifted.

The only Piedmont 2016 I bought, Emil, is the Castello di Neive Barbaresco. I am looking for the Santo Stefano from the same producer.

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:41 pm

DavidG wrote: One of the holdups in the relief package is a proviso Rs tried to hide in the footnotes that would limit or prohibit support to physicians participating in Medicaid or Obamacare plans. A back door way of killing those plans.

David, where did you see this? I can't find it, but I don't have Arv's prowess with Google

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:45 pm

And my parents are still stuck in Spain.

I hope that as a reward, at least they will give them the spanish citizenship!

Nic

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:47 pm

Oh no, Nic, any prospects of getting home soon?
What's causing the delay?

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 11:44 pm

Normally tomorrow. But it is the same for the last 2 weeks...

Anyway nothing more fun here as all non essential commercial and industrial acivities have to stop tomorrow at midnight, for 3 weeks. I guess i will be stop too. More info tomorrow.

Nic

JCNorthway · Post by **JCNorthway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:37 am

Circling back to 2016 Piedmonte, I would recommend the 2016 Produttori del Barbaresco basic Barbaresco - probably about $35-40 depending on your source. This seems to be a great vintage, and Vinous gave this wine 94 points with a drinking window of 2021-2041. I have not tasted it, but based on past vintages with this cooperative, I felt like it was a no brainer. If I had the budget, I would have purchased two cases rather than one.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:18 am

Do we have any documentation yet that there is an actual overload from Covid patients in US emergency rooms?
I haven't seen any such specific reports yet. I've heard a lot of general stuff, like "we're going to run out of supplies in a week..."
Sounds like there are some stresses in NYC, the nation's largest city, and Seattle... anywhere else among the thousands of communities in the US?
Are there scores of deaths in Chicago? LA?
We have 71 cases that have been diagnosed in Maine as of today, zero deaths. It does not seem to be "multiplying exponentially." Presumably a number of those have recovered and are on their way.
All 1.3 million of us, meantime, are shuttered at home.

What have been similar efforts to stop the 30,000+ deaths annually from the influenza?
I'm not remembering similar "social distancing" initiatives to prevent those deaths.
A false equivalency Dr. Fauci tells us, although I'm not quite sure why we can't compare the flu deaths in the tens of thousands to the 500 or so corona deaths we have suffered this season in the US..

I'm sure I'm a Neanderthal for asking these questions.
My underatanding is that we had over 100 deaths today in the US from this as we are approaching "peak", over 500 total, as the 329 million of us have watched from our living rooms in isolation. A very serious problem that obviously requires measures.... I'm just asking. I was expecting to see massive numbers of body bags being carried out of ER rooms across the country by now.
I've seen no such images, not even remotely, Not at all, for that matter.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:35 am

I just talked to a doctor at a major NYC hospital. She says they suffered a death today -- the first -- at the hospital since the crisis began.

One. In NYC, the epicenter.

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:48 am

Jim

i think the issue is that there are a whole lot of sick people that have gone undiagnosed. i know of at least a half dozen people who have the Corona virus and are not exhibiting any acute symptoms. The most significant symptoms are the loss of taste and smell. So these people are not being counted in the number of infected people. These people have not reported to any medical facility. They are self quarantined as well as their extended family who have the same symptoms. Now imagine if these people now go out and go on with their daily life. This number could quickly get out of control if quarantine is not in place. The issue is that 1 of out 10 may exhibit symptoms that are life threatening but when you take 10% of a number that is in the hundreds of thousands you can do the basic math....the ER's can be flooded quite quickly.

Most people are of the same opinion as you and compare it to the influenza....the influenza doesn't spread this quickly or easily... Complete shut down is necessary to stop the spread....For some reason its infecting more lawyers than any other sub group. Sit this one out and be thankful that we are not a statistic

https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/manhattan ... improving/

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:54 am

Thanks for the advice brodway and the report on the one lawyer out of tens of thousands in the country who died.
Are there any reports out there that documents a massive influx of infected patients in ER rooms (outside of NYC) across the country?
This is obviously an issue that needs to be addressed, I find myself, ironically like Orange Head, wondering if the response is proportionate. But what do I know, I'm just a country lawyer from Maine, a state with 71 infections and zero deaths out of 1.3 million now 6 months into the outbreak.

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:56 am

Got information from a nurse in Long Island NY...they have about a dozen patients just in her hospital in intensive care....she doesn't think they are all going to make it. Most of them are between 45 and 65. This is with the best health care available in the world. NO, not everyone will wind up in the ICU from this virus, but some will...and some of them won't survive. Who wants to play Russian roulette?

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:59 am

Sounds like a serious problem, Emil, I'm just wondering whether the shutdown of 8 billion people is a proportionate response.
A dozen people in an ICU unit in a city of 10 million... I'm sure there is a need to take action. Just wondering out loud whether the world is doing the right thing. How long do we sustain this? If there are 12 people in an ICU unit in NYC 6 months from now, are we still all locked behind closed doors?

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:02 am

https://www.businessinsider.com/new-yor ... ral-2020-3

Jim...yes you could be live in a small State with a small number of infected people. That number can grow....faster than you may think...Its not clear its been in the US or in Maine for 6 months...Data shows its been active in the US since around January and has shown to spread exponentially...its not about what you see ...its about what you don't see. I'm no expert, just don't want to be a statistic....and i wouldn't want you to be one either...we love BWE too much for that

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:07 am

I'm just wondering whether the shutdown of 8 billion people is a proportionate response

That is the $64k question....i don't think anyone can answer that with a degree of certainty...the speed of the spread is scary...its like wildfire...some of the bushes will burn and others will survive....Do i stay or do i go?

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:20 am

https://nypost.com/2020/03/21/two-more- ... ronavirus/

The folks are ordinary people living ordinary lives....in a suburban NJ town......maybe enjoying whoopie pies for dessert with a cup of joe...dropping one by one.....i'm not one who is scared easily but people are just not taking this problem seriously enough...i really didn't want to bring whoopie pies into this....but you made me do it

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:23 am

Thank you Jacques and JC on the Piedmonte recommendation. Seeing Vinous has rated the Barbaresco's quite highly in 2016. How about Cigliuti Barbaresco Vigna Erte ? Could bring cost down to $38.65 per bottle if a few members want to split up 2 cases.

brodway · Post by **brodway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:45 am

Produtorri Barbaresco is carried by my local store for $35....i'm going to make that the first purchase since the moratorium has been lifted.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:08 am

jal wrote:
DavidG wrote: One of the holdups in the relief package is a proviso Rs tried to hide in the footnotes that would limit or prohibit support to physicians participating in Medicaid or Obamacare plans. A back door way of killing those plans.
David, where did you see this? I can't find it, but I don't have Arv's prowess with Google

Not published. The Rs backed down on that.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:11 am

brodway wrote:Produtorri Barbaresco is carried by my local store for $35....i'm going to make that the first purchase since the moratorium has been lifted.

Great choice. Lots of positive notes on CT convinced me to open one of these, even though my experience with the 2015 a year ago was telling me to wait. Very closed the first day, but on day two after a night in the fridge it showed cherry, spice, tobacco and earth with great depth and structure. Excellent but still very tannic and undeveloped, I’ll let them sit for a decade.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:46 am

JimHow wrote:Sounds like a serious problem, Emil, I'm just wondering whether the shutdown of 8 billion people is a proportionate response.
A dozen people in an ICU unit in a city of 10 million... I'm sure there is a need to take action. Just wondering out loud whether the world is doing the right thing. How long do we sustain this? If there are 12 people in an ICU unit in NYC 6 months from now, are we still all locked behind closed doors?

Hopkins has two floors full of COVID patients sick enough to be hospitalized. Not sure how many are in ICU but they say the census is increasing and they have half of it set aside - for now. I don’t know about other hospitals in Baltimore. MD is not so far one of the heavily hit states. The US just broke the 10,000 new cases in a day mark on 3/24 and we still aren’t up to speed on testing. Numbers are still increasing logarithmically. Scroll halfway down the page to the graphs: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Jim, just because you haven’t seen it personally doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. I choose to believe the epidemiologists whose life work has been to understand this stuff. They may have different estimates of how many will get sick or die, and how long we should stay in shutdown mode, but none of them are saying it’s just the flu, let 'er rip.

I don’t think we’re looking at 6 months of shuttering all businesses. Two weeks of shutting things down may be enough, maybe longer in densely populated areas like NYC. Sounds like Trump might recommend opening things up at the two week mark. Some areas might go longer if circumstances warrant. Some might start to see a surge after businesses reopen and have to shut down or partially shut down again. It’s a big country with widely varying population density and one size won’t fit all. This is where availability of testing is so important. Without being able to rapidly test anyone who has symptoms, the health experts are flying blind.

The economic damage is already historic and will get worse. I have doctor friends in private practice whose revenue has dropped to 5-10% of normal. They’ll make payroll, maybe, at the end of the month, and that’s with the docs taking home nothing. Another 2 weeks after that and they’ll have to let the staff go. Yet they realize the importance of a temporary shutdown.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 6:43 am

Jim,

Your skepticism is a concerning common place human foible. The Italian hierarchy felt exactly the same leading them to where they are now. If you recall just a few weeks ago I downplayed Felix's warnings. I like finding answers and seek out the experts to fill in the holes. Yes this pandemic has been going on for months but data that is sketchy at best takes time to filter into the literature and most reports have not yet been adequately peer reviewed to assess validity especially out of China. There was so much of a denial and attempt to coverup at the outset of the outbreak that now that they claim the disease is under control along with them kicking press out of the country we don't know how factual the information is.

Regardless what seems to be clear that the last pandemic with H1N1 the gauge the Stefan was talking about recently offline the RO value for influenza was approx 1.46 ie the number of people each infected person can be expected to transfer the disease to. Influenza has a number of cross immunities in the community giving some natural background herd immunity to the population thereby being protective. The fear is that this cover-19 virus has zero background immunity and everyone if exposed will get it. the RO value is estimated at 2-2.5 and may be higher. If you look at the data curve that Davis G provided and the stats in the USA looking at new cases and death rate was going along almost horizontal until mid March when the curve turned vertical with new cases doubling every few days. This is scary and what social distancing is trying to prevent/reverse. This line will continue to climb as long as this bug has people to jump into. If people keep separated the bug can't infect and without a host it dies out.... with no new cases for 3 weeks!!! I am told it is beaten for now. We don't know about mutant strains(there are currently 2) and how may more will develop. Will there be lasting immunity to those infected or can you catch it again upon 2nd exposure unknown!! This bug has a higher mortality rate over 60 and climbs with each decade giving the youth a sense protection. We just had a 29 yo Sunday night die on the the CT table after a progressive flu like illness but didn't qualify for testing because no travel history or known contacts. Test kits are not readily available and are being rationed for specific risk criteria on both sides of the border and apparently in the USA they had a batch of faulty kits that gave unreliable results are not in number sufficient to test symptomatic patients during flu season. Not everyone coughing has cover-19!! The number of unknown cases in the general population is likely 10-100 fold what is being reported unfortunately and reflects last weeks news as the test takes 3-7 days to get the results back!! This is unfolding faster than anticipated and we are in a no win situation. If we blunt the curve and slow the onslaught allowing us to control the disease decreasing the death rate the skeptics will say I told you so ...it wasn't that bad. The other side is more scary that we let this get out of control that they are having to struggle with in Italy. Here in North America we are still in the very early stages of this disease and you and others are saying when is this going to be over and at what cost. Based on the measures taken in China and Korea where they can more easily institute controls on the population it still took 4 months! We are nowhere close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and your questioning is a good thing but answers have to be based on the best knowledge we have to date. People are generally skeptical in our society and until it hits close to home most won't accept the reality. Look at the data available. I was a true skeptic asking questions and seeking answers a couple of weeks ago and no different than most because we just didn't have the data or answers and all of that is still unfolding. Like David said the epidemiologists and Infectious Disease specialists,CDC and WHO are all concerned for a reason. Markets, livelihoods and economies are being slaughtered and yet the powers to be remain afraid and still imposing harsher measures resulting in more pain for a reason....our safety.

Here is an article that answers a lot of this comparison between flu and cover and may be helpful but leaves a lot unanswered because we still just don't know.

https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-pa ... e-flu.html

JCNorthway · Post by **JCNorthway** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:39 am

Broadway, Vinous rated the Serraboella at 95 and the Vie Erte at 94. Seems to me the regular Barbaresco at $35 is very good purchase.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:55 am

I’m just asking questions, Danny, no need to be “concerned."
There is a cancellation culture that ridicules and punishes anyone who thinks beyond the rest of the majority.
Just raising questions.
I haven’t come within 6 feet of anyone in two weeks, following all the rules the experts are requiring.
Not sure what else we can do here in Maine.
The economy is shut down to a stop and everyone is staying hime.