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The Independent
a day ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Chilling red wine actually makes it taste better (yes, really)
Do you remember the summer of 2018? I do. I sweated – a lot! It didn't seem to rain for weeks on end. Just day after day of unending sunshine. At the time, I owned a wine shop and bar in an arch under a railway track on a dead-end street in east London. Receiving deliveries of cases of wine in that heat was not fun. I couldn't keep up with people's insatiable desire for chilled rosé and white, but so many red lovers felt left out. So I started serving red wine in the way I love to drink them: chilled. Now, of course, I'm not for a moment suggesting that my little paradise of wine was responsible for the trend of chilled reds we're encountering today. I was merely emulating what I'd experienced in the bars and restaurants on Le Continent. If you've ever been in a hot country and ordered a red wine, you might find it takes on an almost soup-like consistency. It seems to become denser, heavier and jammier, and isn't particularly appealing. While many reds love to give you that enveloping feeling, it's not something you necessarily want in 35-degree heat, thank you very much. But in countries across continental Europe, they'll be served from bottles glistening with the beads of condensation, pouring the promise of freshness into your glass. And I love to see that this trend has gone mainstream. When the large supermarkets are stocking wines with the specific goal of being served chilled, you know something has hit the big time. Why should chilled reds be the preserve of natural wine bars and Parisienne bistros? In general, we tend to serve red wine way too warm anyway. The commonly suggested temperature is 'room temperature', which is recommended as being between 16 and 18 degrees. Somehow, this idea that 'room temperature' falls around those two numbers is as dated as the aristocratic classes who likely decreed it. Sixteen degrees was probably achievable in their draughty, poorly-insulated country piles – it definitely isn't in our stuffy, central-heated homes. But why do we even chill wines in the first place, whatever their colour? If you've ever tried a warm white wine, it might deliver a lot when you're smelling it, but when it comes to actually drinking it, it tastes muted, flat, lacking any real sense of definition and is flabby and dull. The process of chilling wine actually enhances the acidity and aromatic compounds, bringing your glass to life and delivering far more pleasure. It's like the wine's standing up and paying attention. Of course, not all reds are suited for time in the fridge. I would avoid overly chilling big, heavy reds with high tannins, such as cabernet sauvignon or malbec – the cooler temperatures can highlight an astringent note. Instead, look to the lighter grapes with good acidity and light tannins that are naturally bright and juicy. Grape varieties such as pinot noir, gamay, youthful grenache, frappato from Sicily, zweigelt and xinomavro are all happy fridge-dwellers. And always remember: when it comes to wine, whatever the colour, it's easier to warm them up in the glass than cool them down in the bottle, so don't be too afraid of over-chilling them. Want to give it a try? Here's some affordable inspiration to chill down in the fridge for 20 minutes or so: The Interlude Pinot Noir, Australia, 2024 Available from Co-op, £8.65, 11 per cent ABV Don't over-complicate this uncomplicated wine. It's super simple. Think raspberries and a lick of cinnamon spice, and chill it down for an easy BBQ summer sipper. Le Chouchou Syrah, Gerard Bertrand, France, 2023 Available from Waitrose, £9.75 (RRP £12.75, on offer until 1/7/25), 11 per cent ABV I asked a French friend for a translation of 'chouchou', and she said it's a cute term for someone you like, such as a teacher's pet, or a cute friend. And this wine definitely has a cutesy character about it. A blend of grenache, syrah and cinsault, it's like a posy of pretty scented flowers, bright red cherries and an uplifting freshness – a gorgeous wine for a summer's day. Dangerously moreish, too. Xinomavro Jeunes Vignes, Thymiopoulos, Greece, 2022 Available from The Wine Society, £13.95, 13 per cent ABV Xinomavro reminds me of a cross between pinot noir and nebbiolo. It's an indigenous grape native to Greece, and, in its youthful flourish, is perfect slightly chilled. Delivering heaps of crushed raspberries, juicy dark plums, supported with aromas of wild thyme and rosemary, it has beautiful depth and real character. The lively acidity ties together this bright and energetic wine wonderfully. Lentsch Zweigelt, Burgenland, Austria, 2022 Available from Waitrose, £10, 12.5 per cent ABV An utterly charming expression of this Austrian grape that is perfect with a little chill. Think morello cherries, ripe plums, fresh raspberries and an earthy spice note too. It's brimming with vibrant fruit, and delivers a lot of wine for a tenner. Chateau Picoron Tattarrattat Rouge, France, 2023 Available nationwide, including Highbury Vintners, £22, 13.5 per cent ABV Merlot has lower tannins than its Bordeaux brother, cabernet sauvignon, and here, it's quite simply bursting with vitality and energy. This medium-bodied wine delivers a glassful of soft red plums, sour cherries, wild strawberries and brimming acidity. Made using carbonic maceration – a technique more commonly associated with Beaujolais – the grapes are placed in whole bunches into vats which are then sealed and filled with carbon dioxide to remove the oxygen. This means the grapes ferment within themselves, causing the skins to split and release their juices. Tannins and extraction of colour normally remain low, and what you're commonly left with is a gorgeous, soft and fruity wine. Lovely.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fraudster jailed for stealing £330,000 worth of BOOKS and selling them on Amazon - using wine bar to 'launder the illegal profits'
A wine bar owner who police say used his business to launder the proceeds of a 'brazen' £330,000 book theft escaped jail today by the 'slimmest of margins'. Christopher Nunn took over the Wine Vaults Bar and Restaurant in Beccles, Suffolk, in 2022 – three years after he began swiping stock from a book printing business where he worked and selling it on Amazon. But his illicit business model collapsed in 2023 when a customer rang the publishers to ask why the books were so cheap online. Nunn – who attempted to hide his face when turning up to court for various appearances, using his jacket and even a Scream mask on one occasion – appeared surprised and raised an eyebrow at his wife as he was given a two-year jail term today, suspended for 24 months. Recorder John Brooke-Smith, who heard the defendant had two children with 'additional needs', told him: 'By the slimmest of margins – given the very high level of the loss to the business – I am prepared to say that if I sent you to prison now, the impact on those children would be disproportionate.' Ipswich Crown Court heard that Nunn, 43, was a night shift printer for a firm called CIP Cowes in Beccles, which has run for over 200 years. He took advantage of CCTV cameras in the warehouse which monitored walkways but not the high shelves where the books were stacked and began taking volumes in March 2019. The high-value titles were from LexisNexis, which publishes specialist legal, tax and accountancy books. They are considered essential texts for lawyers and accountants and can sell for several hundred pounds each. It was only in October 2023 that enquiries were made about missing stock and suspicion eventually fell on Nunn. A search of his home in the town led to the seizure of stock and he was found to be a registered vendor on Amazon, with five bank accounts linked to the online retailer. Nunn admitted theft at a hearing earlier this year and the licence for his wine bar was revoked by East Suffolk Council's licensing sub-committee while he was on bail awaiting his sentence. The decision was taken on the grounds that his conviction was 'incompatible with the promotion of the licensing objective for the prevention of crime and disorder'. The sub-committee heard from John Corkett, a licensing officer at Suffolk Constabulary, who claimed money from the book sales by Nunn's company, UKTopSellers, was put through the Wine Vaults as a way of laundering it. 'It's almost impossible to come to any other conclusion, that this is illegitimate money being passed through these accounts,' he said. James Winter-Whitaker, who represented Mr Nunn at the hearing, claimed there were 'errors' in the police statement. Nunn was also charged with fraud and converting criminal property initially, although prosecutors decided not to take them further after he admitted the theft charge. The fraud charge alleged he falsely represented that UKTopSellers was entitled to sell LexisNexis titles through Amazon. The last count stated he concealed, disguised, converted, transferred or removed criminal property by passing money through accounts he operated. The court heard today that the books were worth almost £330,000 at the normal sale price. Nunn sold them for a total of around £205,000 and retained £163,000 after fees were deducted by Amazon. The crimes were committed to pay off 'significant gambling debts' and while 'trying to discharge the drug debt of one of your sons'. However, the judge pointed out the defendant had used '£70,000 from the sale of various cars' in November 2022 which he could have used 'to clear your gambling debts'. Edward Renvoize, defending, argued his client should receive a lesser sentence because his night shift post meant he wasn't in a high position of trust, while his children relied on his help. He added a psychiatric report had found his client to be of 'low to average intelligence', saying: 'This is enormously unsophisticated. 'What he was doing is taking books and selling them on Amazon in a way that would lead directly to his door.' In a victim impact statement, CPI Cowes said: 'LexisNexis never see their books. We print them, sort them and sell them. 'Prior to Covid, a representative from LexisNexis came in to count the books but this changed. 'As well as Nunn taking the books he also took packaging from the warehouse to send the books away. 'The brazenness and pre-meditation was beyond belief.' After hearing the statement, the judge told Nunn: 'One of the consequences of the crime is you have put uncertainty into the minds of staff. 'They [the company] were very, very worried that their main client [LexisNexis] would leave and they would lose their jobs and suffer significant financial loss. 'The financial effect on the company has been huge but the harm goes way beyond. The company has had to put in place £10,000 [of security at the warehouse]. 'It's affected the people who work there. Where there was once trust, there are now cages and CCTV cameras.' Nunn's wife, Lynsey Wickham-Nunn – who committed no offence - was in court today and smiled at him when he received the suspended sentence. Interviewed in November 2022 about taking over the Wine Vaults, she said excitedly: 'We regularly visited the Wine Vaults. I'm a real foodie and we loved it there. 'It was initially my husband's idea to take it over. His job is in printing works and I was a stay-at-home mum of four. 'We have never owned or run a business like this before, so it was a massive jump. But we thought 'why not?' and just went for it.' She added: 'We won't really be making any changes. Our thinking is 'If it's not broken, don't fix it'.' Nunn was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, which organises activities designed to reduce the risk of reoffending.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Yes, you can chill red wine. These are the best varieties to try.
With no disrespect to rosé, the coolest bottles in the ice bucket aren't always pink. At cutting-edge bars and restaurants, nothing is hotter than serving red wines with a serious chill. 'We sell three times as many chilled reds as we do 'regular' reds,' says Shanna Nasiri, the owner of With Others, a twinkling wine bar in Brooklyn, New York. She keeps at least one chilled red on her by-the-glass menu throughout the year. 'We fly through cases,' she says.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cafe to be transformed into new wine bar after plans approved
Plans have been approved to convert a cafe into a new drinking establishment. Adur and Worthing Councils have given the green light to proposals to transform the Old Bakehouse at 2 High Street in Tarring, Worthing. The Old Bakehouse ceased trading in July 2023. The application suggests that new establishment will be a wine bar. The historic property, part of a set of Grade II listed buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, will retain some of its original features while undergoing a partial change of use. This includes turning the ground floor into a social drinking space, while the first floor will continue to operate as a hairdressing area with a new community room. The new licensed social space will offer locally sourced cold food platters. Drawings of the new exterior (Image: Three%) The new establishment will also have external seating in the courtyard facing Glebe Road and in the rear garden. The plans suggest the drinking establishment will provide seating for a maximum of 60 people both inside and outside. The proposed opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 10pm, and Sunday and bank holidays from 12pm to 8pm. The applicants, Chris and Shelley Baxter, also own The Refreshment Rooms, a micro-pub in Worthing which was formerly the Salvington village store. READ NEXT: Dad wins £144k supercar in lottery he entered for 26p Their wrote in their application: "Having breathed life into the village store (a much valued and council recognised Asset of Community Value) with The Refreshment Rooms, we are proposing a similar endeavour in the heart of Tarring Village. "Whilst supporting the existing hairdressing services and a new community room on the first floor, the old cafe area would become a licensed, social space with locally sourced, cold food platters, balanced with plentiful, non-alcoholic drink options. "Mirroring our efforts at The Refreshment Rooms, we would create a welcoming, inclusive setting whilst being mindful of issues that have blighted many residents over the years, including a zero tolerance approach to street drinking, smoking, and pavement loitering." The new bar will have external seating (Image: Google)READ NEXT: Plans for micro-pub in railway signal box receive huge support The Worthing Society supported the proposal, which received 15 objections and four letters of support from the public. Those objecting expressed concerns about potential noise pollution and antisocial behaviour, while supporters felt the new establishment would benefit the local community. Sussex Police responded to the submission: "The level of crime and anti-social behaviour in Worthing district is above average when compared with the rest of Sussex, so additional measures to mitigate against any identified local crime trends and site-specific requirements should always be considered."
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Split payments and second jobs: how music festival fans afford soaring costs
From Monday to Friday, Jessica Heath works as a civil servant in central London – but when the weekend comes, it's not time to relax. For the past two years, the 28-year-old has also worked evening shifts most Saturdays and Sundays at a nearby wine bar, with one clear aim – to save up for her summers. Heath has been a huge music festival fan since she first went to Leeds as a teenager and each year, including day events, she takes in at least seven, some as a volunteer. Without that and her second job, she'd never be able to afford it, she says. It's not just the cost of tickets, 'it's so many other things', says Heath. 'The coach, the food, the drink, all the other elements.' Her most recent trip to Glastonbury cost £900 in total – 'an insane amount of money for less than a week'. 'It sounds like I'm saying, 'Woe is me.' I mean, I had an amazing time. But for me and a lot of my friends, you either do that or you go on holiday – you don't do both.' It has been a turbulent few years in Britain's festival industry, with huge commercial giants and smaller indies buffeted by a post-pandemic, post-Brexit surge in costs that led a record 72 events to postpone, cancel, or fold in 2024. Event organisers, often despite their best efforts, have been forced to raise ticket prices, and are having to innovate to sell them. While festivalgoers caught in an ongoing cost-of-living squeeze are, in many cases, having to innovate to afford to buy tickets. As a result, industry analysis shows, the way festival tickets are bought and sold is changing. Pre-pandemic, some opted to pay in instalments; since then, however, the numbers opting to buy this way has soared, with ticket service Skiddle reporting a 48% increase in 2023/24, a figure expected to rise further this year. 'My view would be, if you don't offer split payments, then you really shouldn't be running a festival in 2025,' says John Rostron, the CEO of the Association of Independent Festivals. Almost all festivals – even day events – now offer them, he says, often spread over a full 12 months. Early bird tickets, too, have boomed – up five-fold in 2023/24 at Skiddle. In part, says Rostron, that's driven by live events being forced to lock in their acts ever earlier, but it also means some festivals are selling out in record time – even in early autumn, almost a year before their event. Many Guardian readers have said festival financing was a year-long pursuit. Charlotte Westwell, 23, a coffee shop supervisor from Wigan, said she and her partner had got the bug at Download Pilot in 2021, and have gone to two or three a year since then. Sign up to The Guide Get our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Friday after newsletter promotion To do so, they snap up early bird tickets on payment plans. 'Then, after each festival, I set up a savings pot, and set up a standing order for a set amount every month, as well as a cash jar for any spare bits of cash. But we inevitably need to dip into savings for various reasons, wind up with very little by festival season, and whack it all on the credit card in an endless cycle of festival debt.' But it's worth it, she says. 'I mean, we're massively, massively into live music.' Many readers said they were able to get tickets only by volunteering – 'a wonderful community' in itself, according to Charlotte Lovie, 55, a college lecturer from Southsea in Hampshire, who has worked in exchange for a ticket at several festivals for each of the past four years. But even coming by a volunteer place can be tough, and some have concerns that rising costs could make festivals increasingly inaccessible to those on low incomes. It's something event organisers are acutely aware of, with some, such as the alternative music and arts festival Supersonic, inviting better-off attenders to buy 'solidarity' tickets to subsidise a free or cheaper one for those from marginal groups. 'The ethos of the festival is about this sense of community and people coming together,' says the Supersonic artistic director, Lisa Meyer. 'And if that becomes elitist because it's so expensive, then it's not really for everyone.' Stuart Walker, 52, from Nottingham, says he and his partner had initially decided they couldn't afford their usual couple of festivals this year: 'It feels like a much bigger luxury than it used to be, and I'd have to cut back on a lot more things.' In the end, though, they decided to dip into their savings, and will go to Beautiful Days and Latitude later in the summer. Why? 'We just decided, what's the point of life if you don't experience joy? That's why.'
