The pandemic has been a boon to retail alcohol sales of all kinds, according to the New York Times. Alcohol consumption overall has increased during the pandemic, with heavy drinking by women up 41%. Beveragedaily.com says that the biggest gain for wine sales came from casual, at-home, non-food occasions, such as drinking during the day outside mealtimes or catching up with friends via phone with a glass of wine. And now that people are cautiously returning to socializing, wine with dinner is likely to see the trend continue.