Wine Club 21 December

I write this from Camp Bah Humbug, whither I’ve been banished by my ever-loving. I had merely suggested that it might be time to dispense with a Christmas tree this year and that was it. Off I was sent to the gulag and told that if can’t say anything nice I’m not to say anything at all, and not to come down till supper.

Still, I’m surrounded by bottles and have the small telly and a laptop and am really rather happy. I’m happy, too, with my choices below, something of a greatest hits selection of wines that I’ve recommended recently from our friends at FromVineyardsDirect.

We start with the 2018 Rive Droite Rive Gauche (1), a white Côtes-du-Rhône blended from Viognier and Grenache Blanc with just a touch of Clairette and Bourboulenc, harvested from both banks of the Rhône, hence its name. I love such wines — soft, supple and creamy — and this, with its notes of apricots, peaches and citrus, is charming. £10.45 down from £10.95.

Your chance to replenish stocks in the aftermath of the festivities, courtesy of FromVineyardsDirect

The 2018 Ch. Bauduc (2) will be familiar to habitués of the Hotel du Vin chain and the restaurants of Messrs Ramsay and Stein (where it’s the house white) as well as to our readers. A blend of 95 per cent Sauvignon Blanc and 5 per cent Sémillon, it’s produced by Gavin and Angela Quinney in the Entre-Deux-Mers and is crisp, clean and zesty, with plenty of fresh nettle and cut-grass notes too. It’s a great wine to keep in the fridge, just in case. £11.45 down from £11.95.