French winemaker launches humorous 'Covid test' vintage

A winegrower in the southwest of France has unveiled a new vintage fit for 2020: Test du Covid.

Christophe Avi, based in the department of Lot-et-Garonne, has printed 1,500 labels for his special festive wine, a 2018 Merlot-Tannat.

The labels explain how the test works: “Serve a glass. Smell the wine. Taste the wine. If you discover a taste or smell, you do not have Covid.”

The bottle comes with the additional message that this should be taken with humour.

Mr Avi, who runs the vineyard Domaine du Bois de Simon, said the idea was to “bring a bit of good humour in this period of gloom".

Consumers should “test themselves” with moderation.

Mr Avi is not the first winegrower in France to have the idea.

In November, producer Chapelle Bérard also launched a wine Covid test. Their vintage is €8 a bottle but the website says they have all sold out: “a victim of its own success”.

Read more:

Noël 2020: Which festive tipples will you choose?