With good wine, it’s all in the timing

Three bottles, three questions that delivered three different answers. I was in Dorset — cannot keep away — enjoying the Indian summer while cursing the government’s ineptitude. As always, we ate well. I believe that those of us said to be at risk are supposed to bulk up. I did so with the aid of La Ratte potatoes, outstanding waxy spuds, even if they are French. Although many Frogs affect to despise the potato as an Anglo-American interloper, they do know how to grow it when they try. But the pièce de résistance, among several rivals, was carpaccio of halibut. I would aver that there is no finer fish to prepare in that way.

Young Arthur, not quite five, tucked in with relish. No one has told him, nor ever would, that there is ‘food’ and ‘kiddies’ food’. It was explained to him that a halibut has been known to weigh as much as 500lb. ‘How big is that?’ he asked, looking intently at me. Cheeky little monkey.

With all this, we drank a lot of summer wine, but there was also an experiment. Brunello di Montalcino is generally reckoned to be a short-lived wine. That said, the cellars of the Quirinale, a former papal palace which has now come down in the world and is used by presidents of Italy, have yielded Brunellos from the late 19th century which were still excellent. Perhaps they had been blessed by the vinous equivalent of the odour of sanctity. Less sanctified, we made do with a 2002 from Sesti. Would it have survived? We decided to open and pour rather than risk delay and a decanter. That seemed the correct call. The wine was a bit brown. Though it was perfectly balanced, the tannins seemed to be fading.