It seems the weather has turned. We seem to be getting a few last bits of sun, but the temperature has definitely dropped. So it's about time to start thinking about wines for cooler evenings.

A lot of people turn to red wine as soon as the mercury falls, and I can completely understand this, but why not eek out the white and rosé fun as well? Rather than glugging on the summery Pinot Grigios, why not look into some slightly heavier wines? And instead of the really pale pink rosés that can't be beaten in the summer, how about a foray into the heavier Cabernet Sauvignon or Garnacha rosés?

This is also the moment to think about the temperature at which you serve your wine. People often serve their white/rosé wines straight from the fridge. This can be a good idea for really cheap/nasty wine where you don't actually wish to taste the flavour, but actually, to serve a decent white or rosé at about 10° gives you just so much more idea of what's going on. A good white or rosé can be served at room temperature without causing any weird facial contorsions!

Speaking of room temperature, for red wines this is an area of much misunderstanding. Red wines are often said to be best served at room temperature. This is all well and good, but what do we mean by this? The average house is now centrally heated, and so is really quite warm - maybe 21 or 22°. This is not the temperature referred to by the phrase 'room temperature'. This phrase was coined back in Victorian times when houses were much cooler - maybe 18°, or cooler. So, ideally your red wine should be served at Victorian room temperature, not 21st century global warming temperature.

It's also worth mentioning that in many continental countries red wine is served chilled. The average Brit gets terribly upset at the idea of drinking red wine cold, and yet it can be delicious. Certainly when pairing wines to fish, the lover of red wine can sometimes feel overlooked in the traditional British thinking of white with fish/red with red meat - try chilling your red wine and serving it with your fish dish, and just see what you think (and see what your guests make of it!)