This topic probably won’t cause much controversy among the wine geeks here, but you’d be surprised how much email I get inquiring to the propriety of this and similar weather-related wine taboos.
(From this week's [30 Second Wine Advisor)
Mmm, Tawny Port. Why wait?
We are deep in the Dog Days of summer, the hottest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, so the wine authorities have ruled that we should be sipping light whites or gently chilled rosés right now.
But doggone it, sometimes I don't want to follow the rules!
Look, I get it. Sometimes during those lazy, hazy days of summer, when the fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high, there's nothing more satisfying than a light, spritzy white or a lightly chilled dry, herbal rosé. Some of my happiest wine memories involve Provence rosé sipped on a sunny outdoor cafe in Bandol or Aix or a busy sidewalk cafe in Avignon. Or those light yet intriguing Mosel Riesling Kabinetts sipped around a picnic table with friends on a hillside above the Saar. Or even dining at home with a good rosé on the table on a sizzling summer evening.
But then there are the summer evenings when I'm simply in the mood for a fortified wine, a hearty dry Fino or full-bodied Oloroso or deeply sweet Pedro Ximenez Sherry, or maybe a rich, drinkable Ruby or Tawny Port. In this modern age when I can crank the air-conditioning down to a brisk chill, is there any good reason why I should have to wait for winter to pull out that cork? I think not.
Suiting action to words, having found a squat bottle of Croft Reserve Tawny Port on an exceptionally inviting sale at my neighborhood wine shop the other day, I felt no shame at all in opening it – okay, sure, with the air cranked down – and enjoyed it after dinner with a few bites of rich, creamy cheese. It was fine, and we'll probably drink up the rest well before the leaves fall.
Another night recently, I was just as happy to follow protocol with an exceptionally delicious rosé from the Loire Valley, Pascal Jolivet 2017 "Attitude" Loire Valley Rosé. You'll find my tasting reports on both wines posted as separate WTNs.
