Definition: When should wine be drunk?

When is the right time to drink wine? " Before the time, it's not the time"...

Have you ever noticed that the same wine tastes completely different when tasted in different circumstances? Our perception can of course vary significantly depending on our state of mind at the time and the people around us, but regardless of this, it can also happen – as I have experienced several times during tastings – that the wine simply tastes bad.

There areseveral reasons for this

- Early bottling: a recently bottled wine is rarely at its best. It goes from an environment where it is comfortable (vats or barrels) to being cramped and confined in a tiny bottle. Imagine the trauma! It will take several days to recover. The same goes for recently disgorged champagne; at least three months of rest on slats will do it a world of good.

-Transport: you've just driven from Paris to Marseille in one go, with bottles in the boot, in the middle of summer... Wait a while before opening them. Similarly, we recommend that even the most impatient among you wait before tasting bottles purchased at auction. Between being transported to the warehouse and shipped to your cellar, they deserve a few days, or even better, a few months of rest.

- Climatic conditions: it is said that atmospheric pressure affects our mood. Why not that of wines? As a living substance, wine can be affected by these variations. When it is very hot, it is also more difficult to taste.

-The season: there are times of the year when wines are less enjoyable to taste. This is particularly true after fermentation, in autumn or early spring, when they are not yet very stable.

The influence of the lunar calendar

- Finally, as biodynamic enthusiasts have told us, and as we have observed, there are good days and bad days. According to the lunar calendar, there are "root" days, "fruit" days, "leaf" days and "flower" days.

And public enemy number one: the lunar node or perigee day*. A headache for rationalists, but a reality that is, if not tangible, at least efficient. On this day, wines taste very bad, are closed and not very expressive. So choose the right date!

- One last point: each wine has its own phase of evolution. It may be at its best in its first three years, then close up for three years (more or less) before bursting onto the scene. It is impossible to determine this, so it is best to ask the winemaker for advice or consult the guides. It also depends on the grape variety and the winemaking method.

* Perigee is the point at which the moon is closest to the earth, at a distance of 365,500 km. Conversely, apogee is the point at which the moon is furthest from the earth. When it is at perigee, the moon exerts a much stronger gravitational pull, which weakens plants.

The lunar node is the point of intersection between the planes of the lunar orbit and the ecliptic (the Sun's orbit).

These two periods are not favourable for plants or gardening, and therefore not conducive to wine tasting, as the wines tend to be very closed. For more information, visit the websites below.

Moon - Apogee and perigee

Keep an eye on the lunar calendar and note when the moon is at its apogee and perigee. These periods are not favourable for plants or gardening work of any kind.

As it orbits the Earth, the moon follows an elliptical path with the Earth at one of its foci. During each lunation (corresponding to one complete orbit), it moves closer to the Earth and eventually passes a point on its path that corresponds to the minimum distance between the two celestial bodies: this is the perigee. The moon is then 365,500 km from the Earth.

It then moves further and further away from our planet and passes through the apogee, the point corresponding to the maximum distance from the Earth. The Moon is then 406,700 km away from the Earth.

A period of exactly 27 days, 13 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds separates two consecutive passages of the moon at apogee or perigee. This period of time is called the anomalistic revolution.

During these two extreme passages, the moon has a negative influence on plants. When it is at perigee, it exerts a much stronger pull, causing young seedlings to wither. Plants are weakened and remain less robust. When the moon passes through apogee, its gravitational pull is reduced. Young seedlings grow less well and remain stunted. They subsequently produce plants that are more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Donot garden!

Given the rather harmful effects of the moon on plants during the periods of the year when it is at its apogee and perigee, it is strongly recommended that you refrain from gardening on these days.

However, depending on your professional or personal obligations, or due to the weather, you may have to work in your garden during one of these unfavourable periods. Be aware that it is possible to mitigate or compensate for this negative effect by carrying out all soil maintenance operations such as hoeing, weeding, mulching, watering, adding compost, various treatments, etc. on the appropriate dates indicated in our lunar calendar.