Nature's potent effect on the 2003 vintage

I WRITE this from Nice, France, where the temperature at midday can be as high as 33 degrees C - dry and hot! There is a heatwave in Europe now which brings back memories of the summer of 2003 when temperatures in June shot sky-high, causing many deaths from heat stroke. (Even though there is air-conditioning in my Nice hotel room, it is not designed to be as effective as the one back home!)

The severe drought which inevitably accompanied the heat during the growing season deeply affected the vines and the wines, resulting in greatly reduced production, high sugar levels and low acidity. But I am happy to report now that the wines that were produced are proving to be very good indeed.

One of the very first words of wisdom I received when I started learning about wine was that wine is about people. What people? The growers first and foremost, and then who else? The people you drink with, of course. You do not drink wine alone - unless you are a miserable misanthrope!