Today is my last day in the office before I head off for the habitual family two weeks away up in the wilds of North Wales, so last night I started to scribble down my list of holiday essentials.

Times have certainly changed, my children are now a little older (as we all are) and whereas a few years ago I’d have been jotting down the likes of baby bottles, baby food and travel cot I found myself still noting that I’d need bottles but we’ve moved on from the 8oz (standard baby size) to the 75cl (standard adult size – wine).

My list started with children’s bikes at #1 but at #2 wine has made the cut this time round. I’ve learnt over my time at Yapp HQ a few things along the way and I’m happy with my plans for this summer.

I’ve asked the Shop Manager to pack my wine in 6 packs – this seems to fit better in the back of the car boot and fills the space well behind the 2 children’s bikes. It has the added bonus that I can keep 6 bottles separate for my own personal consumption and proffer other wines to folk that appear on our campsite over the next 2 weeks. I’ve got a pack of well priced and road tested crowd pleasers (a couple from Saint Pourçain – the white Cuvée Printanière 2009, the great decently dry and quaffable rosé La Chinière 2010 and the ever popular red, Côtes de Thongue: Tradition 2010).

The campsite is very small and most of the regulars there, like myself, went there as children and now repeat the process with our own children. So Jeremy and family, Oliver and co. – you may want to brush up on the above as that’s what you may well be drinking over the next few weeks.

The ‘hidden’ 6 pack (currently packed behind the beach BBQ and firelighters) is the ‘special’ pack – so Jeremy, if you see any of these being broached, you know we’ve worked our way through the others. Keep an eye out for the simply wonderful Sancerre Blanc: Les Perriers 2010, my favourite summer red (Chinon,  l’Arpenty 2009) or a bottle of the rather splendid Champagne: Dumangin Fils. Premium Blanc de Blancs.

Well, that’s the essentials covered – with a bottle opener at #3 on the list. Let’s hope the trek through the black mountains and brecons takes us safely to the wilds of the Llyn peninsula with these bottles ready to be opened – very possibly on arrival.

Cotes du Thongue Tradition 2009

Before my time in the wine trade and before my time with small children in the house a favourite cousin (Simon) and me would spend a fair few weekends over the summer camping and surfing on the northern shores of Devon and Cornwall.

Simon is a few years younger than me but is still of the age where he was exposed to the music of the 1980s first hand. So, we both spent the decade sorting the wheat from the chaff finding out the obscure gems of the time (Hüsker Dü any one?)

Simon did and still does for that matter live in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, where oddly rhyming slang remains as popular as it once did in the real East End of London. Or maybe that’s just Simon, I’ve never been that sure as a lot of it I suspect has been created by him personally. On the summer weekends away I’d spend time simply deciphering – “Holly Ghost” <toast> and  “Adam Ants” <pants> still spring to mind..but as always, I digress.

Now, as far as obscure gems go, putting Hüsker Dü to one side for a moment there’s a wine that has been flying out of the doors from Yapp HQ for literally months now. The Côtes De Thongue Tradition 2008 from the Languedoc (I quote “A mid-weight, forward-drinking, crowd-pleasing southern red with a palate of juicy garrigue fruit over subtle tannins”) was literally huge all last year with both our customers and the press relishing the wine.

Last night I tried the new vintage of “the Thongue” – the 2009 that was certainly as good as, if not better then the 2008 – and at £7.95 a bottle I suspect we’ll ship lots more in 2010. So with all my cousins word play still in the back of my mind I was hoping to avoid thinking “the 2009 vintage – it’s all gone Côtes De Thongue” but thankfully this couldn’t be further from the truth!