What to drink in 2022.

We ran out of Picpoul de Pinet last week, 2020 vintage. No big deal, stocks do indeed run dry – after all, wine is an agricultural product and the phrase, “We’re just waiting for the new vintage to be bottled and shipped” has been uttered ad infinitum by our trade over the years. So, usual form, we suck it up and wait for the 2021 to land in the warehouse (P de P drinks early, as soon as that screw cap is in place, it’s good to go, none of that maturation lark hanging around in barrels).

However, slight problem: there is no 2021 coming our way, not a single case. The cataclysmic frosts that tore a hole throughout France in April decimated crops even as far south as the Languedoc. Then the rest of the growing season continued to hammer vineyards: wet weather led to mildew and rot; the sun failed to shine and even when it appeared that there were going to be some relatively healthy (albeit too few) grapes to pick in September/October, more rain caused the fruit to dilute as it soaked up the moisture.

Anyway, we won’t have Picpoul back on our list until the beginning of 2023. White Burgundy is another staple for UK wine-drinkers, but it’s the very same story. Furthermore, stocks of older vintages are disappearing fast, as lovers of Côte d’Or Chardonnay are buying up as much as they can afford/store. A ‘crise de Puligny-Montrachet’ sounds a completely absurd concept on a number of levels, but it looks as if there’s going to be one imminently.