Six wines to make you ditch Dry January

At 3.28 a.m. on 1 January, I made myself a promise: I would never touch alcohol again. Having over-egged it horribly during the carnage that passed for the neighbours’ NYE party, I had finally come to agree with Dean Wormer’s fabled observation in Animal House, that ‘fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life’. So proud was I of my new-found resolve that I woke Mrs Ray to tell her, although her reaction – ‘Oh go to sleep, you idiot!’ – wasn’t quite the one I’d hoped for.

And having tasted a dozen or so wines from Mr Wheeler for this offer, I realise total abstinence is a fool’s dream. The 2016 Ch. Poitevin alone made me see what I’d be missing. It’s dry Jan and then chocks away. There are other delights here too, all chosen with restocking your wine racks at a modest price in mind. Happy new year!

The 2023 Domaine Canet Sauvignon Blanc (1) from the sun-dappled Languedoc is quite the little charmer. Made by a Dutch couple, Floris and Victoria Lemstra, from fruit surrounding their gorgeous, 900-year-old Minervois estate, it’s crisp, fresh and dry with zingy, zesty fruit and a thirst-quenching finish. And, at just 12%, it’s easy on the liver and therefore ideal for those who aren’t exactly on the wagon but who have vowed to lower their intake. Only a few hundred cases were made and at less than a tenner a bottle, it makes a great house wine. £9.50 down from £10.95.

The 2022 Ch. du Charnay Mâcon Villages (2), new to Mr Wheeler’s list this year, is also brilliant value given its quality. From a small domaine in the Mâconnais in southern Burgundy, managed by the impeccably-run cooperative La Cave des Vignerons des Terres Secrètes, it’s lively, citrusy and ever so faintly honeyed.