A Year Defined By Wines And Spirits At Home

Back in 2017 when David Churchill bought DePetris Wines and Liquors in Bridgehampton and moved his own wine shop, Churchill Wines & Spirits in East Hampton, to the Main Street location, it was like returning home.

That’s because in the 1990s, long before opening his own store, Mr. Churchill worked alongside then-owner Dan DePetris. He spent 15 years learning the ins and outs of the wine and spirit business from him, but in all those years, he likely never encountered anything quite like what 2020 dished out in the form of a global pandemic.

Fortunately for Mr. Churchill, with stay-at-home orders in place most of last year, for many East End residents procuring alcoholic beverages was as high on the list of “must have” items as disinfecting wipes and masks.

“I would say at this time last year, it was more of a panic mode,” Mr. Churchill explained when asked to reflect on his business over the course of the past 12 months. “I think everybody’s gotten accustomed to how everything changed in their world. People are getting used to takeout and cooking more at home.”

The fact that people have been eating primarily at home since COVID-19 began has proved very beneficial to Mr. Churchill’s business. Keeping store shelves stocked with wine, however, turned out to be something of a challenge.

“In the first two or three months, from March through July, wine supply was not a problem,” Mr. Churchill said. “But then as things slowed up on the docks from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, it started backing up a bit.

“Spirits were easy to get — that’s never a problem — but the wines were a problem,” he said.

His difficulty in stocking European wines was partly due to the slow-down of global shipping — as demand for products of all sorts grew across the board, the ability of dockworkers and truck drivers to handle all those goods was reduced because of the pandemic. But Mr. Churchill adds the issue was compounded by a 25 percent tariff that was slapped on wines from France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom by the Trump administration beginning in October 2019. The tariff was in retaliation for European subsidies given to Airbus, the main competitor of U.S.-based Boeing.

“It was taxing everybody to a new level and was just ridiculous. And it coincided with the pandemic,” Mr. Churchill said.

While that meant wines from the biggest European producers became more expensive, Mr. Churchill noted that, on the upside, he found other producers to take their place and began doing much better with wines from countries like Portugal, Chile, Argentina and, to some extent, South Africa.

“It’s the areas where wines are reasonably priced and of good quality. The number one area is the Portuguese wines, which have exploded with taste and their price points,” explained Mr. Churchill, who noted that wines from the country have always been more affordable than other European offerings.

“They produce predominately reds, but they do some whites,” he said. “The word ‘Port’ is from Portugal. In the middle of winter when you’re sitting in front of the fire after a dinner of short ribs and polenta, it’s nice to have a little sip of that.“

Mr. Churchill added that with the tariff in place, also picking up in popularity in the last year were wines produced in the United States, specifically those from Oregon.

In terms of changes in clientele, Mr. Churchill points out that because his is the nearest wine and spirits store to Sagaponack and it has been in operation since 1945, he has a loyal following. Though he didn’t find his customer base expanding much during the pandemic, what did increase was store traffic, which stayed steady throughout the year — even during what are normally his quieter months.

“Also, I think because so many people are eating at home, one of the most blindingly obvious things they are realizing — fortunately for me, but not for the restaurants — is you can get a bottle of wine from me or McNamara’s or Race Lane for $22. At the restaurants they were charging, what $19 a glass?

“I think that may change now,” he added. “Way more people are buying wines, bringing them home and enjoying better wine because they can spend $50 on a beautiful bottle rather than $50 for three glasses.”

Another key feature that has defined Mr. Churchill’s business is the fact that he delivers. It’s a service that dates back to when Mr. DePetris owned the store and one he says his nearest competitor doesn’t offer. When asked if in this year of pandemic there has been an increase in the sales of any particular type of hard liquor, Mr. Churchill notes that tequila has been flying off the shelves as of late.

“I’ve never seen more tequila sold in winter,” he said. “I think a lot of people will be reaching for an early margarita.”