On the first weekend of March 2020, as the coronavirus started spreading from Asia across Europe and knocking ever harder on American doors, the World of Pinot Noir (WOPN) took over the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta, as it had done annually for years. As usual, I was part of the festivities, running a panel or two, attending dinners, and mixing it up with my wine professional friends and colleagues from around California and the world.
We were aware of the virus, but it still felt like a joke, as we laughed while bumping elbows. We had no idea what was coming and no idea that we were dodging a serious bullet by attending indoor tastings where nearly 1,000 people were sipping and spitting wine, unwittingly spraying our potentially COVIDized germs all over the place.
Thankfully, nothing happened. No one got COVID-sick as far as I know — and I’ve written and spoken about this multiple times without anyone telling me otherwise — and the word “super-spreader” did not become associated with WOPN. (I’m also on the advisory board of the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience , and we had to completely cancel our entire inaugural event that following weekend as the virus progressed so rapidly.)