Europe's 'summer' may have been exceptionally cool and damp up to the end of August but we have been enjoying a spell of warm sunny weather so far this month which is expected to last until well into next week.

While this is too late to rescue some of the earlier ripening varieties in areas such as Beaujolais and some parts of the Languedoc Roussillon where the harevst is already over or underway, this prlonged sunshine is just what Bordeaux has needed - and it will presumably be helping Burgundy's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir too. 

We're not talking extreme heat here, but long, low rays of sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20s C/70s F.