Wine Club: a pitch-perfect selection from the great Corney & Barrow

I think it’s fair to say that I overshot the runway at The Griffin the other day. So excited was I to be out and about, large glass in hand, mixing with much-missed mates on the East Sussex gastropub’s fabled ‘Serengeti’ terrace, that I foolishly didn’t keep as close an eye on the speedometer as I should have done. Bottle followed bottle and by the time the patron’s postprandial limoncello appeared, I was completely undone. Happy, but undone.

I slept through most of Mrs Ray’s finger-wagging in the cab on the way home but got the gist — ‘undignified’ and ‘at your age’ being the constant refrains.

The trouble is — as I pointed out before dropping off — I love the taste of wine. I love the effect and I love the way a fine bottle breeds bonhomie, fuels friendship and spawns tall tales, all of which have been sorely lacking during these dark days. Moderation, though, is the key and I’ll try to remember that next time.

Indeed, what gentler way to get back in the saddle than with the tastily restorative 2017 Thanisch Riesling Kabinett (1) from the River Mosel? I adore fine Riesling and this, from a celebrated 385-year-old producer, is gorgeous, full of apples, pears, zesty citrus and a touch of honey. It’s whistle-clean, thrillingly refreshing, dry to off-dry, and, at just 10.5 per cent vol, moderation incarnate. £17.06 down from £18.95.

The 2019 Quincy, Domaine de l’Epine ‘Une Promesse’ (2) is another bewitching riverside wine, from the terraced banks of the River Cher in the Loire Valley. The estate takes a lutte raisonnée approach and yields are kept low, leading to a Sauvignon Blanc of unexpectedly creamy, succulent and rounded style. You can spend far more in neighbouring Sancerre for something far less gratifying.