We're not going to see the virus lay down its arms and surrender, but we can celebrate the small victories we achieve along the way to eradicating COVID-19 with a sensible glass of sparkling in isolation.
March 31, 2020
Habits
Introducing the little bottle of bubbles you need to celebrate the small wins during COVID-19
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SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19 ADELAIDE
CityMag is checking in on our network and community to make sure everyone out there in isolation is still feeling connected and has the help they need to weather this pandemic as best they can.
It was a delight today to phone up owners of Lambrook Wines, Brooke and Adam Lampit, and learn the tiny team behind our favourite bottle of local, bubbly wine from the Adelaide Hills are doing okay.
“Look, it’s not great, but we do feel like we’re getting back some control again after the free fall last week and the shock of losing our on-premise business overnight,” says Brooke.
“It’s definitely been a massive adjustment, but because we’ve still been able to trade we’ve been able to adjust very quickly and think about the safest way to supply our product and service to customers,” says Brooke.
Our conversation ranges across the full gamut of business under the new world order: from technical issues of connecting remotely to servers (that’s us) to having to institute contactless deliveries to customers (that’s them).
Remarks
Contactless Deliveries
“What we’re doing now – and what the customers are really liking,” says Adam “is we drive up, we unload the wine, we put it on the doorstep, we go back to our car and then we ring the customer to tell them know the wine has been delivered to the door and then they come out and they pick up the wine.
“At no stage are we anywhere near contact with each other.”
But it was the piccolo wine bottles Brooke mentioned that really caught our attention. Lambrook have always produced single-serve bottles of their finest fizz, but after several bottle shops reported an uptick in sales of this particular product Brooke and Adam started to connect the dots in their customers’ journey.
“People aren’t gathering with friends and family right now,” says Brooke, “but it’s still nice to be able to have a glass of bubbles. So you can still enjoy your favourite bubbles – there’s no waste, it’s just a glass – it’s convenient.”
It absolutely feels inappropriate to us, and – we’re sure – many of our readers, to be popping the cork on a big bottle of champagne right now. However, we also feel strongly there is a need to celebrate the tiny wins we’re each experiencing in our everyday isolation.
We can see the Lambrook Piccolo as the perfect end-of-day toast to: connecting successfully to your first Zoom meeting, making your first sale since COVID-19 disrupted trade, adopting a new furry friend from the RSPCA, or something as important as a reduction in the infection rate in South Australia. Cheers to all of that!
We’re not going to beat the coronavirus in an out-and-out fashion. It won’t just one day surrender, but will gradually stop its wholesale disruption as our governments move increasingly to support our frontline health and service industries, provide employer and employee safety nets and once everyone stops hoarding things.
Photo: Meaghan Coles
And just look at these things! They are 100% adorable.
“Definitely the little Piccolo could be a little win,” says Brooke. “I think it’s important to still celebrate as we adapt to this situation, that you’re not missing out on anything and whether you’re having a good time with friends via the Houseparty app or via Zoom, you can still have a glass of fizz with your friends.”
Lambrook’s Piccolo cases are available online and from Adelaide’s best independent bottle shops (many of whom are on this list).
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