Summer is upon us here in Blighty (like never before) and almost as an instinctive reaction we have abandoned the dinner table. Now outdoor dining is obligatory and long lunches stretch into the afternoon, dinners into the late evening and the style has shifted from subdued ceremony to al-fresco conviviality. Wine, too, deserves a seasonal rethink. At Debrett’s we are not beholden to rules nor are we slavish to received wisdom. How does this impact on our approach to wine now that the days are warmer?
Few subjects divide wine lovers quite so readily as the question of ice. To some, dropping ice cubes into a glass of wine is little short of sacrilege. The objection is understandable: as the ice melts it dilutes the wine, softening its aromas and altering the balance. If opening a fine wine it would indeed be wrong but is there ever a case to be made for doing it? Absolutely there is!
Wine is a subject that, more than most, is burdened with pompous mistruths, received wisdom and more utter nonsense than almost any other topic. We should not forget the purpose of serving wine correctly is to enhance enjoyment, not to demonstrate that we can blindly follow someone else’s baseless dimwittery. To put it simply, on a sunny terrace at lunchtime it is entirely possible that a glass of white wine can quickly become disappointingly warm. If the choice is between no wine, tepid wine and a modest glass cooled with a cube or two of ice, common sense should prevail. It is far better to enjoy wine with ice than to endure it without ice simply to appease the self-anointed etiquette experts.
Of course, selecting wines suited to warm weather is an even happier solution. Portugal’s Vinho Verde is one of summer’s great pleasures. Despite its name, which means “green wine”, it refers to youth rather than colour. Light in alcohol, high in acidity and often possessing a delicate natural spritz, it is crisp, refreshing and ideally suited to leisurely lunches, seafood and salads. It is at its best served thoroughly chilled.
Rosé remains one of summer’s greatest pleasures, despite the lingering snobbery in some quarters. Dismissing it as unsophisticated or somehow beyond the pale is to overlook its remarkable versatility. A well-made rosé offers freshness, elegance and (forgive the winey cliché) it pairs well with sunshine.
Other excellent choices include Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and dry Riesling, all of which retain their freshness on warm days.
Red wine is often misunderstood. The familiar instruction to serve it at “room temperature” dates from an age when drawing rooms were considerably cooler than they are today. It was never intended to endure the temperature of a sun-drenched conservatory or a centrally heated sitting room in midsummer. Chilling a red wine is not (necessarily) a crime!
Indeed, many lighter reds are positively improved by gentle chilling. Pinot Noir, Gamay et-al benefit from twenty to thirty minutes in the fridge before serving. Cooling them slightly emphasises freshness, reins in alcohol and makes them remarkably agreeable companions to charcuterie, grilled chicken or summer picnics.
In an ideal world we should chill our wine properly rather than dramatically. An ice bucket should contain both ice and water, as water surrounds the bottle and chills it far more efficiently than ice alone. Though this means the label will almost certainly fall off after about 30 minutes, though this is rarely a problem at Chateau Debrett’s. For outdoor entertaining, insulated wine sleeves kept in the freezer are discreet and highly effective, while cool bags with frozen ice packs are indispensable for picnics and garden parties. It is best if , bottles are kept out of direct sunlight; a shaded corner or covered table will preserve both temperature and flavour.
Of course you do not need us to remind you that etiquette is not a set of rules to be learned and rigidly applied. Good manners should be about elegantly ensuring the enjoyment of those around us. In summer, that means serving wine at a temperature that flatters it, choosing styles that suit the season and recognising that hospitality matters more than dogma. The most gracious host is not the one who insists upon orthodoxy, but the one who ensures every guest enjoys the glass in their hand.
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