As regular followers of these offers will know, Jason Yapp and Tom Ashworth, co-proprietors of Yapp Bros (they are, in fact, step-bros), are a wicked, evil pair. Nothing delights them more than luring innocent and naïve drinks writers to their doom over endless glasses of their vino.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I have succumbed to their wiles. Only the other day I had reason to recall one particular shirt-popping, liver-challenging lunch and its aftermath when I found a receipt for a hideously pricy bottle of champagne I seem to have bought in a place called Tranny Shack. Goodness knows where and what that is and with whom I shared said bottle. Bloody Jason!
The trouble is that the wines the Yapps waft under my beak are always so darn tasty. The boys might be absolute devils but, crikey, they know their wines.
Six corking French regional wines and one superlative English fizz
The 2019 Saumur Blanc (1) is a case in point. A crisp, clean and deeply refreshing Chenin Blanc from the Loire, it has been the Yapps’ unofficial house wine for yonks and is much admired, not only for its quality but also for its jaunty, modernist label featuring Charles de Gaulle in mid-drink. It’s a perfect summer wine, bottled under screwcap to conserve its bright orchard fruit. £10.25 down from £11.25.
The 2019 Ch. Estanilles ‘Vallongue’ Blanc (2) is a typical southern French blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Vermentino (all organic) from Faugères. White wine makes up only some 2 per cent of the appellation’s output, so it’s a delightful rarity. Soft, creamy and full of herbs and ripe peaches, it has the mineral weight to match many a dish. £13.95 down from £14.95.
The 2019 J-M Raffault Chinon Rosé (3) has weight and character in abundance too.
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