Wine Focus - October: Wines for a Changing Climate

[David M. Bueker]

It’s September 30 here, and we are still seeing temps in the high 70s, and even the 80s. Crazy!

I keep hoping for a few truly cool days for a warm soup or stew and a comforting red wine. But the air conditioning keeps kicking on.

Then there’s the effects of climate change on the wines. Some fall & winter stalwarts (e.g., Chateauneuf du Pape) have become alcoholic bruisers, making them tough for even the deepest of winter chill. I’m not sure when it will be cold enough to make me want to open some Port!

How has climate change affected what you drink and when?

It’s September 30 here, and we are still seeing temps in the high 70s, and even the 80s. Crazy!

I keep hoping for a few truly cool days for a warm soup or stew and a comforting red wine. But the air conditioning keeps kicking on.

Then there’s the effects of climate change on the wines. Some fall & winter stalwarts (e.g., Chateauneuf du Pape) have become alcoholic bruisers, making them tough for even the deepest of winter chill. I’m not sure when it will be cold enough to make me want to open some Port!

How has climate change affected what you drink and when?

You anticipated my post, David. Last night, after a daily high of 87 F (down from 91 the day before) we prepared a light dinner of Caprese salad, baba ganoush and bread and opened a bottle of 2024 Clos Cibonne Tentations Rosé, a light-bodied and refreshing Provençal blend of Grenache and Cinsault, with small amounts of Syrah and Tibouren. Watermelon and minerals in the nose, lip-smacking acidity and strawberryish fruit on the palate. Distinctly more-ish.

[David M. Bueker]

It’s September 30, and I have a Muskateller Trocken chilling in the fridge!

[Robin Garr]

Ooooh, good one! Thanks, David.

[Jenise]

It’s September 30 here, and we are still seeing temps in the high 70s, and even the 80s. Crazy!

I keep hoping for a few truly cool days for a warm soup or stew and a comforting red wine. But the air conditioning keeps kicking on.

Then there’s the effects of climate change on the wines. Some fall & winter stalwarts (e.g., Chateauneuf du Pape) have become alcoholic bruisers, making them tough for even the deepest of winter chill. I’m not sure when it will be cold enough to make me want to open some Port!

How has climate change affected what you drink and when?

Despite the week of cooler overnight temps and heavy rains, it was 76F in Renton yesterday when I was down south to pick up my car which had been in for it's 30K service ($750 on the ticket but still free to me, warranting the 200 mile round trip) and cut a swath from west to east around Seattle picking up wine at two places and Asian groceries at a third, including very garlicky roasted chickens at a giant new Asian market to take to my brother's for dinner on the way home where I'd be facing gale force winds. They opened a few well-chilled cheap chardonnays (which is 90% of what they drink). Suited me, and the weird day, very well.

[David M. Bueker]

We finally had a fall-like day today, so I opened a Bordeaux, a 2002 Chateau Leoville Poyferre from my dad’s cellar. Poyferre had gone modern by then, but the vintage conditions kept this one under check, and while still showing quite a bit of fruit, it had the classic minerality and savory notes that I love in Bordeaux. It occurred to me that properly made Bordeaux is the answer to the climate challenges of Cabernet. Yeah it’s harder to find these days, but wines like Cantemerle still carry the same virtues of this “lesser vintage” Poyferre even in warmer years.

[David M. Bueker]

BTW, I should mention that my late September bottle of 2022 Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Muskateller Trocken EL was a joy to smell and drink. I so love the aromatics of Muscat.

But please for the love of god no more 80 degree days this fall!!!!!

[Jenise]

A cross-over post from September's discussion about Beaujolais. I just put 3 bottles of '22 Foillard Corcelette in the cellar, got them from the same source as the Chevillon Passetoutgrain for a screaming deal of about $32/bottle. Granted, 14% abv, which is a bit above my threshhold for Beaujolais, but hey, it's Foillard.

Here in north-western France, we have a premature autumn with temperatures well below seasonal average for many days now and it looks likely to continue for some more days. Remains of Atlantic hurricanes are hitting our coasts bringing gales and heavy rain today. To cap it all, some forecast models are predicting a harsh later winter. So, I guess that there will be plenty of occasions to bring out my richer S.Rhônes and Roussillon wines this season. However, this more extreme weather does seem part of generally warming climate change in spite of its being Politically Incorrect in many places to accept that nowadays.

[David M. Bueker]

However, this more extreme weather does seem part of generally warming climate change in spite of its being Politically Incorrect in many places to accept that nowadays.

In the U.S. the same people who consider climate change to be a hoax are the loudest to complain when their electric bill is so high from keeping their house at 68F/20C in July and August!

[Robin Garr]

I had this one in the tasting queue already, and it turned out to be a great fit for this month's Focus.

Chateau La Freynelle 2024 Bordeaux Clairet ($17.99)

Clear, light ruby-red in color, on the cusp between red and rosé, La Freynelle Bordeaux Clairet defines the term "fresh" with its bright, juicy, and gulpable raspberry, strawberry, and juicy cherry aromas and flavors. Crisp, mouth-watering acidity provides structure for a bouquet of ripe fruit flavors. Tannins aren't obvious, and light 12% alcohol stays out of the way. U.S. importer: Aquitaine Wine USA, Berkeley, Calif.; a Jean-Christophe Calvet Selection. (Sept. 27, 2025)

FOOD MATCH: This fresh, juicy wine is easy to sip on its own, but its fruit and acidic structure make it a natural food wine that would fare well with poultry, pork, tomato-sauced pasta, salmon, or mussels.

WHEN TO DRINK: Freshness is the key here, and it's best to stick with the current vintage.

VALUE:
This wine offers good value at Wine-Searcher.com's $17 average U.S. retail price.

WEB LINK:
Here's a detailed fact sheet in English from producer Véronique Barthe.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for La Freynelle Bordeaux Clairet on Wine-Searcher.com.

Read about Bordeaux Clairet and find other wines of this type at this Wine-Searcher link.

Click this Wine-Searcher link to browse producer Vignobles Philippe Barthe's portfolio and find vendors for the wines.

[Jenise]

I've never seen a Bordeaux like that. Reduced skin contact?

I've never seen a Bordeaux like that. Reduced skin contact?

All red Bordeaux was drunk from the cask and was more or less like that until the late 17th century, hence the English name "claret" which has lasted. Modern dark, tannic and age-worthy "claret" was pioneered by Arnaud de Pontac at Château Haut-Brion after 1649 with a host of technical advances in the cellar including bottling under cork. I sometimes see Clairet like Robin's on the shelves here but haven't bought one recently. Conventional rosé is more common.

Yes, Bordeaux used to be a pale wine, although not a rose. IIRC it used to be blended with Port for export to England (travail anglais?).

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

I've never seen a Bordeaux like that. Reduced skin contact?

What the others said. Young vibes, Vinified light and fruity and oak-free and meant to be drunk right now, an ancient style that pre-dated the fancy Bordeaux that the Brits made famous. “Bordeaux Clairet” is actually the appellation. There’s not a lot of it around, but it’s not totally rare.

BTW, I should mention that my late September bottle of 2022 Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Muskateller Trocken EL was a joy to smell and drink. I so love the aromatics of Muscat.

But please for the love of god no more 80 degree days this fall!!!!!

In the 80s again today here. At least the strong sunlight's doing a good job charging my EV Rain's forecast for tomorrow and Tuesday, and with it supposedly comes cooler temps. Bring on red wine season!

[David M. Bueker]

I’m way up in Downeast Maine for vacation and wishing I had brought more Rosé in October!

I’m way up in Downeast Maine for vacation and wishing I had brought more Rosé in October!

My son's in his last year of college in Waterville, ME. 78 there today, but more seasonal weather thereafter.

[David M. Bueker]

I’m way up in Downeast Maine for vacation and wishing I had brought more Rosé in October!

My son's in his last year of college in Waterville, ME. 78 there today, but more seasonal weather thereafter.

Yep. Gonna be cool the rest of the week. We took a day trip to Lubec on the far eastern coast today and it was foggy and cool! Had Cabernet when we got back!