Wine Club: a delectable selection from our friends at Yapp Bros

Dry January is but a memory and, nearing the end of a demi-sec February fortnight — just a precaution to check that everything is working as it should be — I’m pretty much match fit once again and raring to go. I certainly loved choosing these delectable Yapp Bros wines on your behalf and, with the help of Mrs Ray, made sure that none of the bottles went to waste.

As befits a Loire specialist, Yapp Bros have had a top quality Muscadet on their list for 50 years and their current staple is the 2020 Jean-François Baron Muscadet Sur Lie (1), complete with its jolly Quentin Blake label. Produced by the fourth-generation winemaker Jean-François Baron from old estate vines, the wine spends several months on the lees, leaving it fresh, lively, bone dry and more than a little thirst-quenching. £11.25 down from £12.25.

The 2020 Domaine Gardrat Sauvignon (2) from a 130-year-old family-owned estate in the Charente — Cognac country — is simple but deeply enjoyable fare. Made from 100 per cent Sauvignon Blanc (organic), it’s invitingly aromatic, light, sprightly and full of fresh citrus zing. Easygoing enough to make a fine aperitif, it also matches most fish dishes and is bang on with une assiette de fruits de mer. £11.50 down from £12.50.

The Yapp boys love their Chenin Blanc, but the 2020 Migliarina Chenin Blanc (3) is something of a departure for them in that it’s from Stellenbosch, South Africa, rather than Vouvray, Loire Valley. Saffa Chenin (usually known as Steen) used to be as dreary as a wet weekend in Bognor, but today it’s anything but and I’m not surprised in the least that Cheninophiles such as the Yapps have headed to the Cape in their quest for the best.