Eccelsa Vermentino di Sardegna, Sardinia, Italy 2022 (£8.99, until 1 August, Waitrose) Unlike last summer, the UK has so far avoided the worst of the record-breaking summer temperatures endured by much of the northern hemisphere this year. Indeed, it’s been possible, on damp and squally, old-fashioned British July days (and provided you closed your ears and eyes to the unnerving news coming in from Rome and Xinjiang), to pretend that the climate crisis was no more than a fever dream. That’s not been an option for southern European winemakers, of course, who have once again been battling with the brutal effects of extreme heat, which range from the dramatic (wildfires) to the quietly devastating (much-reduced crops and quality). Those winemakers know that some grape varieties cope better in a heatwave than others: the vermentino of central Italy and southern France, for example, has a remarkable ability to yield breezily fresh, gently floral, citrussy dry whites such as Ecclesa in the dazzle and blare of a Sardinian summer.
Taste the Difference Garnacha, Campo de Borja, Spain 2021 (£8, Sainsbury’s) Vermentino’s capacity to retain freshness and acidity will be sorely tested this year when the temperature across its traditional production zones has soared far above 40C at times. That it can thrive in the heat has made it an attractive choice for growers looking to plant in warm regions all over the world, with particularly successful examples emerging from Australia. The same is increasingly true of another white variety that has developed over centuries in hot, arid, windy conditions: the assyrtiko of the Greek island of Santorini, prized for an electric acidity and mouthwatering mineral quality that is more commonly found in northern European whites such as riesling and the chardonnay of Chablis, can now be found in South Australia, California, Lebanon, South Africa and the South of France – the sort of places where another sun-and-wind-loving variety, the red garnacha (aka grenache), makes abundantly, vividly berry-juicy reds such as Sainsbury’s northern Spanish bargain.
Real Companhia Velha Quinta das Carvalhas Tinto, Douro, Portugal 2018 (£18.99, dbmwines.co.uk) With growing season temperatures having increased by an average of 2C over the past half century and set to jump another 2C in the next 50 years, growers all over the world are asking tough questions about whether and how long their existing grape varieties can cope with the changed circumstances. In the UK, there’s been a certain amount of excitement about the newfound ability to ripen such varieties as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In a region such as Bordeaux, however, serious thought has been given to the long-term viability of their favoured merlot and cabernet sauvignon, which has led the French wine governing body to authorise the planting of a bunch of new heat-resistant varieties. Among them was the Portuguese touriga nacional, one of the key grapes of Port and the powerful red wines of the Douro Valley. Which raises the intriguing if – for lovers of the traditional, lighter, fresher Bordeaux style – heart-breaking possibility that such sumptuous, richly fruited reds as Quinta das Carvalhas might be the shape and taste of claret to come.
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