Keep cool this summer and your wines even cooler

Somewhat annoying since I was visiting vineyards in south-west France where the weather was significantly worse! Storm after storm after storm, such that in four weeks there was only one day with no storms. No doubt now that I am back in Sussex the weather in France will be glorious and the UK will get cooler. Such is life! One thing is for sure, global warming is upsetting the normal weather patterns which also has an effect on agriculture which is obviously subject to the vagaries of climate. Grapes are, after all, another agricultural crop and subject to weather conditions throughout the year. Luckily, this year the vineyards of England and Europe have escaped major frost damage in the spring. The next tricky stage in the vineyard cycle is flowering, which in England is about now. So far so good, and in Europe flowering and setting of the young grapes has been largely successful. What the rest of the year will bring, who knows? A warm, sunny summer without extremes of heat and a gently warm autumn with only a little rain to plump up the grapes would be ideal. Fingers crossed. Hailstorms are another difficulty for grape growers and when I was in south-west France near Bergerac, one particular storm had hailstones the size of large marbles! They can even be bigger, causing damage to cars and roofs and shredding the vineyards of leaves and grapes. But back to now and keeping cool in the summer heat. White wines, sparkling wines and rosé should all naturally be served well chilled, but often the temperature of red wines is forgotten. A lovely bottle of red left on the table at around 28 degrees C will taste terrible! The balance is destroyed with the wine tasting overly acidic and tannic. Thus it is well worth remembering to keep your red wines cool before serving in a wine cooler – although perhaps not in an ice bucket. The old concept of red wines at ‘room temperature’ is a little outdated, since room temperature – certainly in the summer – can be 25 degrees or more. Around 18- or 19-degrees serving temperature is ideal for many reds and up to 21 is just about OK. And for storage, try to keep them even cooler. Naturally a cellar is ideal as it keeps constant all year, but not everyone has access to such storage. So long as the temperature is lowish and kept reasonably constant, the wines should not be adversely affected. Red wines still certainly have their place in the Summer and some, such as simple Pinot Noir and some lighter Italian reds, can actually be served chilled. I wouldn’t suggest you chill your bottle of Margaux, but do be careful that it isn’t too warm when served as the result can be greatly disappointing.